Kentucky football still receiving votes in Week 3 Coaches Poll

Kentucky continues to climb the ladder in the latest Coaches Poll update, but not enough to crack the Top 25 just yet.

On Sunday afternoon, the Wildcats received 38 points in the Week 3 Coaches Poll, good enough for 27th in the country and behind only Washington State as teams outside of the Top 25. Despite Kentucky entering the weekend ranked No. 28 in the Week 2 Coaches Poll, Saturday’s 28-17 win over FCS opponent Eastern Kentucky wasn’t enough in the eyes of the voters to push the ‘Cats into the Top 25.

Against the Colonels, Kentucky struggled throughout the entire first half and did just enough in the second half to pull out the closer-than-expected victory. QB Devin Leary put up impressive numbers with 299 yards on 24-38 passing for four touchdowns and one interception, but it wasn’t until the third quarter that UK took its first lead of the game. Regardless, a win is still a win, and Kentucky is still trending in the right direction when it comes to the national rankings.

NEW: Week 3 College Football Coaches Poll🚨https://t.co/25akjGCz6C pic.twitter.com/QYZjFTyL3h

— On3 (@On3sports) September 10, 2023

Week 3 Coaches Poll

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

Schools Dropped Out:
No. 19 Wisconsin; No. 22 Tulane; No. 23 Texas A&M.
Others Receiving Votes:
Washington State 80; Kentucky 38; Texas Christian 26; Auburn 23; Texas A&M 21; Fresno State 21; Kansas 17; Tulane 16; Missouri 14; Maryland 14; Wake Forest 13; Oklahoma State 12; Central Florida 11; Arkansas 10; Syracuse 9; Cincinnati 8; Wisconsin 7; Mississippi State 7; Wyoming 6; Minnesota 6; Air Force 5; South Carolina 3; Memphis 3; Louisville 3; James Madison 2; Michigan State 1.

The Week 3 AP Poll will be released later this afternoon. Kentucky came into Saturday’s game receiving 15 total points in the Week 2 AP Poll, or 30th in the country.

Kentucky plummets in ESPN’s FPI

Yes, a win is still a win, but the computers don’t seem to agree with that sentiment. ESPN’s Football Power Index was updated on Sunday morning following Saturday’s games, where Kentucky dropped 15 spots in spite of picking up the win. The ‘Cats fell from No. 26 all the way down to No. 41 in the latest FPI.

As a result, Kentucky’s season-long FPI projections have been updated to reflect Saturday’s result. UK is now projected to finish with an average win-loss record of 6.5-5.5 and just a 73.1 percent chance of reaching the six-win threshold. Additionally, Kentucky’s odds of winning the SEC East have dropped to a mere 1.9 percent chance.

Next up for Kentucky is another home game, this time against the Akron Zips (1-1) on Saturday, Sept. 16 at 7:30 p.m. EST. Akron is now ranked 131st in ESPN’s updated FPI, third-worst in all of Division I football.