Kentucky played five top-20 teams in 2024

by:Adam Luckett•about 11 hours•

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Kentucky defender Deone Walker goes after Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart - Mont Dawson, Kentucky Sports Radio

The Kentucky football program had a rough season in 2024. That has led to a roster overhaul this season as head coach Mark Stoops attempts to fix this organization’s culture heading into year 13. Part of the reason things got off the rails for the Wildcats was because the schedule was so tough.

The final AP Top 25 poll was released on Tuesday following Ohio State’s victory in the national championship game. Kentucky faced five top-20 teams in 2024 and beat one of them.

Ohio State (14-2)
Notre Dame (14-2)
Oregon (13-1)
Texas (13-3)
Penn State (13-3)
Georgia (11-3)
Arizona State (11-3)
Boise State (12-2)
Tennessee (10-3)
Indiana (11-2)
Ole Miss (10-3)
SMU (11-3)
BYU (11-2)
Clemson (10-4)
Iowa State (11-3)
Illinois (10-3)
Alabama (9-4)
Miami (10-3)
South Carolina (9-4)
Syracuse (10-3)
Army (12-2)
Missouri (10-3)
UNLV (11-3)
Memphis (11-2)
Colorado (9-4)

The Wildcats had nine games against power conference foes in 2025. Over half of them occurred against ranked team. Kentucky dropped home games to Georgia and South Carolina. The Cats faced Texas, Tennessee, and Ole Miss on the road. This disappointing season will be remembered for how it ended but the Week 5 road win over the Rebels will go down as one of the best in the Stoops era.

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Do not expect the brutal schedule to go away. Next year’s slate could be even more difficult. That’s this program’s new life in a divisionless SEC with 16 teams.

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