What Kentucky fans should pay attention to during this off week

Can Kentucky cover the spread against Idle? Some are asking this week in the Bluegrass. Thanks to how the calendar falls in 2024, each team will draw two bye weeks giving programs some much-needed rest during the grind. That also gives fans a chance to spend their fall Saturdays not sitting in front of a television for eight-plus hours or the entire day tailgating.

Who are we kidding? You’re probably going to end up sitting on your couch longer than expected watching football this weekend. Cannot say I blame you.

At the Luckett residence, I will get the rare opportunity to settle into my three-television set up in the basement once my two boys ages two and under are down for bed. From there, my dog Moose and I will settle in to see what the night slate and a crazy after dark window have in store for us on the first Saturday in October. However, a full college football Saturday is about digesting all of the action from noon until after midnight.

I’ve got some Dad duty to take care of this Saturday but “Bluey” and “Mickey Mouse Funhouse” will take a backseat to “College GameDay” before the games begin at high noon. We do not have the mega-matchups this weekend (go check out that Oct. 12 schedule) but there are plenty of intriguing games. There are some that Kentucky fans should pay close attention to.

What is worth having your attention from a Big Blue lens on Saturday? KSR has you covered.

Big Blue Nation’s bye-week rundown

— SMU at No. 22 Louisville (Noon ET | ESPN): Jeff Brohm‘s team gave away a winning opportunity against Notre Dame last week after stealing a win against Georgia Tech. Now the Cardinals return home to play in one of their biggest ACC games of the season. SMU’s defense is likely top-25 good and a strong run game could test a stingy Louisville run defense. An early second loss could take away a lot of the hype Louisville had for this season before big games against Miami, Clemson, and Kentucky.

— Auburn at No. 5 Georgia (3:30 p.m. ET | ABC): Hugh Freeze‘s team is off to a disastrous 2-3 start thanks mostly to a woeful turnover margin (-11). The Tigers are doing some good things on offense but could be getting Georgia at the worst time possible fresh off this program’s first regular-season loss since 2020. Kentucky and Georgia have similar defensive structures so how Auburn attacks the Bulldogs could be similar to what we see at Kroger Field at the end of the month.

— No. 12 Ole Miss at South Carolina (3:30 p.m. ET | ESPN): Was Week 2 a true fluke for Kentucky football? This SEC contest at Williams-Brice Stadium could give us the answer. Ole Miss is facing a must-win spot on the road against a ferocious South Carolina pass rush. This contest could tell us if Lane Kiffin‘s team truly was a paper tiger or if Kentucky just got hit with an unfortunate avalanche against an inefficient South Carolina offense. The rare Rebels vs. Gamecocks matchup fascinates me.

The Ole Miss-South Carolina matchup
is fascinating . A monstrous swing game that could give us a better idea of where Kentucky truly stands entering October.

Pigskin Preview takes a look at the full Week 6 card and gives out 6 best bets.

📺https://t.co/WkshaFkGP5 pic.twitter.com/ngeSYw46XG

— Adam Luckett (@AdamLuckettKSR) October 4, 2024

— No. 1 Alabama at Vanderbilt (4:15 p.m. ET | SEC Network): Have you seen Vanderbilt’s offense with Diego Pavia in action yet? If not, you are in for a treat. The New Mexico State transfer is the Vanderbilt offense in this unique option scheme that will test the defense’s eye discipline and gap control constantly. Facing an iffy Alabama run defense, Vandy could cause some issues if they can shrink the game. Pavia is completing 63.5 percent of his passes on 8.5 yards per attempt but most of his damage is done on the ground (339 non-sack rushing yards on 5.1 yards per rush)

— No. 4 Tennessee at Arkansas (7:30 p.m. ET | ABC): Tennessee’s defense is posting ridiculous numbers but Arkansas will be the first competent offense the Vols have seen this season after facing FCS Chattanooga and three sub-100 offenses. That should mean that Josh Heupel will ask quarterback Nico Iamaleava to do more after the Vols sat on the football in the second half against Oklahoma. Saturday night in Fayetteville should tell us a lot more about the Big Orange.

— UCF at Florida (7:45 p.m. ET | SEC Network): Could Billy Napier survive another home loss? We could find out this weekend. Graham Mertz could throw for a boatload of yards against a bad UCF pass defense but the Knights has one of the top rushing attacks in college football and run defense continues to be a major weakness for the Gators. Saturday night in The Swamp is a huge opportunity for Gus Malzahn and the UCF program. Could they land a knockout punch that ends Napier’s tenure? Florida likely does not win this game without a big performance from Napier’s offense. It’s currently difficult to project what Florida will look like when Kentucky makes the trip to Gainesville in Week 8.