Kentucky football still receiving votes in AP, Coaches Polls following bye week

Kentucky football was on a bye this weekend, but the Wildcats still moved around in the latest national polls.

On Sunday afternoon, both the Associated Press and Coaches Polls were updated to reflect everything that happened during Week 8 action. Although Kentucky remains unranked, they’re still receiving votes in both. UK ranks 33rd (down one spot) in the AP Poll with two points and 32nd (up four spots) in the Coaches Poll with 10 points.

Kentucky will host Tennessee this weekend at Kroger Field in Lexington. The Volunteers are coming off a tough 34-20 loss to Alabama on Saturday. As a result, they fell in both polls to No. 21 in the AP and No. 20 in the Coaches. Kickoff between UK and UT is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 28 at 7:00 p.m. EST. It will be streamed on ESPN.

Check out the entirety of the Week 9 AP and Coaches Polls below.

Associated Press Poll Week 9

1. Georgia
2. Michigan
3. Ohio State
4. Florida State
5. Washington
6. Oklahoma
7. Texas (+1)
8. Oregon (+1)
9. Alabama (+2)
10. Penn State (-3)
11. Oregon State (+1)
12. Ole Miss (+1)
13. Utah (+1)
14. Notre Dame (+1)
15. LSU (+4)
16. Missouri (+4)
17. North Carolina (-7)
18. Lousiville (+3)
19. Air Force (+3)
20. Duke (-4)
21. Tennessee (-4)
22. Tulane (+1)
23. UCLA (-2)
24. Southern California (-6)
25. James Madison

Others Receiving Votes: Florida 34, Liberty 17, Kansas St. 16, Miami 12, Fresno St. 8, Oklahoma St. 5, Toledo 3, Kentucky 2, Rutgers 2, UNLV 1, Wisconsin 1

Coaches Poll Week 9

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

Schools Dropped Out: No. 23 Iowa

Others Receiving Votes: Florida 52; Miami (FL) 27; Kansas State 25; Iowa 24; Fresno State 23; Oklahoma State 13; Kentucky 10; Wyoming 9; SMU 8; Liberty 8; Arizona 7; UNLV 6; Maryland 4; Kansas 4; Wisconsin 2; Toledo 2; Clemson 1

ESPN’s updated rankings

With updated national polls come fresh analytical projections. Following this weekend’s action, ESPN updated both its Football Power Index (FPI) and SP+ rankings.

Starting with the FPI, Kentucky dropped just one spot to No. 44 coming off the bye week. The season-long projections didn’t change much either compared to last week. The Wildcats are predicted to finish the season with an average win-loss record of 6.6-5.4 — the same numbers that were provided following the loss to Missouri. Kentucky has an 84.4 percent chance to win at least six games and just a 0.3 percent chance to win the SEC East.

As for the SP+ rankings, Kentucky continues to rise. The Wildcats actually moved up one spot last week despite losing to the Tigers, and they moved up again without even having to play a game this week. UK is now No. 25 in the SP+ rankings (a three-spot increase), boasting the 42nd-best offense, the 16th-best defense, and the 18th-best special teams unit in the country.

Looking ahead to next weekend’s matchup against Tennessee, the Volunteers came in at No. 16 in both the FPI and SP+ rankings.