Kentucky football cracks Coaches Poll Top 25 for first time this season

Kentucky football is finally cracking the national polls.

On Sunday afternoon, the USA TODAY Week 6 Coaches Poll was updated. After taking down the Florida Gators on Saturday in Lexington by a final score of 33-14, the Wildcats have jumped into the Top 25. Kentucky is now ranked No. 20 in the Coaches Poll, a seven-spot increase from last week’s poll. Florida, which entered the weekend ranked No. 23 in the Coaches Poll, plummeted out of the Top 25 and fell all the way down to No. 43 in the nation.

Next up for Kentucky is a high-profile showdown against the unbeaten Georgia Bulldogs (5-0) this Saturday in Athens, where the SEC Nation crew will be covering the ‘Cats for the second straight week. UGA has held down the Coaches Poll’s top spot all season long and that did not change in Week 6 despite Georgia barely escaping Auburn with a 27-20 win over the Tigers.

NEW: Week 6 College Football Coaches Poll‼️

More: https://t.co/9JeIefnFQ0 pic.twitter.com/6UKZNMAP3a

— On3 (@On3sports) October 1, 2023

The Week 6 AP Poll will be released later this afternoon. Kentucky came into Saturday’s game receiving 41 total points in the Week 5 AP Poll, placing them at 27th in the country. They expect to break into the Top 25 this time around. Below is the entire updated Week 6 Coaches Poll.

USA TODAY Coaches Poll Week 6

1. Georgia
2. Michigan
3. Ohio State
4. Texas (+1)
5. Florida State (-1)
6. Penn State (+1)
7. Southern California (-1)
8. Washington
9. Oregon
10. Alabama (+1)
11. Notre Dame (+2)
12. Oklahoma (+2)
13. North Carolina (+2)
14. Washington State (+3)
15. Ole Miss (+5)
16. Oregon State (+5)
17. Miami [FL] (+1)
18. Tennessee (+1)
19. Utah (-9)
20. Kentucky (+7)
21. Duke (-5)
22. Missouri
23. LSU (-11)
24. Fresno State (+2)
25. Louisville (+5)

Schools Dropped Out: No. 23 Florida; No. 24 Kansas; No. 25 Kansas State.

Others Receiving Votes: Maryland 81; Kansas State 73; Texas A&M 59; Air Force 32; UCLA 29; Clemson 18; Iowa 17; Wyoming 12; Kansas 11; Tulane 10; James Madison 8; West Virginia 6; Brigham Young 5; Wisconsin 3; Marshall 3; Ohio 2; Memphis 1; Florida 1.

ESPN’s updated FPI projections

Kentucky continues to rise in ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI) rankings, as well. The Wildcats jumped up five spots from No. 36 to No. 31 following Saturday’s win. As a result, the Wildcats’ projected average win-loss record also improved from 7.0-5.0 this time last week to 7.9-4.2 as of Sunday morning.

The FPI numbers that were once down on Kentucky through the first few weeks of the season have now changed tunes. UK has a 97.2 percent chance to win six games this season (up from 85.7 percent last week) and a 6.4 percent chance to win the SEC East (up from just 3.0 percent last week). Meanwhile, Florida dropped six spots in the FPI down to No. 37 as a result of the 19-point loss.

Georgia, Kentucky’s next opponent, will host the Wildcats on Saturday with a perfect 5-0 record and the top-ranked spot in the national polls, but the FPI isn’t buying the Bulldogs as the best team in the country. After narrowly beating Auburn, UGA dropped two spots in the FPI to No. 7 overall.