Kentucky opens as multi-touchdown favorite against Ohio
Coming off a close loss to No. 1 Georgia on Saturday, Kentucky will go into Week 4 as an overwhelming favorite to bounce back with a win.
According to Circa Sports, Kentucky has opened up as a 15-point favorite to beat Ohio next weekend in Lexington. The over/under is set at 42.5 points. Kickoff between the Wildcats and Bobcats is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 21 at 12:45 p.m. EST at Kroger Field on the SEC Network.
Kentucky is 2-1-0 against the spread so far this season. The Wildcats were a massive underdog against the Bulldogs but managed to cover the 21.5-point spread with a one-point loss. UK also covered the 24.5-point spread against Southern Miss in the season-opener with a 31-0 win but failed to cover the 9.5-point spread as the favorite against South Carolina in Week 2. The ‘Cats were embarrassed by the Gamecocks, 31-6.
ESPN Analytics also heavily favors Kentucky against Ohio, giving the Wildcats an 88.4 percent chance to win. Additionally, ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI) gave Kentucky plenty of credit for its showing against top-ranked Georgia. UK rose 16 spots to No. 39 in the FPI. The advanced stats now predict a 5-7 finish for the ‘Cats with a 33.2 percent chance to reach the six-win threshold. That’s up from the 26.2 percent chance it was at this time last Sunday.
For those wondering, Kentucky technically still has a chance to make the College Football Playoff. Granted, the FPI has it at just 0.1 percent, but as the meme goes… So you’re telling me there’s a chance?
Meanwhile, Ohio checks in at No. 108 in the FPI. Out of the MAC, the Bobcats are 2-1 on the season with wins over South Alabama (27-20) and Morgan State (21-6). It’s lone loss came in the season-opener to Syracuse, 38-22. Ohio covered the spread against South Alabama and Syracuse but did not against Morgan State.
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