Kentucky remains in Coaches Poll Top 25 following Georgia loss

Kentucky was flat-out embarrassed by Georgia on Saturday night, falling by 38 points in a 51-13 blowout loss in Athens. But that wasn’t enough for the Wildcats to completely fall out of the updated USA TODAY Coaches Poll.

On Sunday afternoon, Kentucky fell three spots from No. 20 to No. 23 in the Week 7 Coaches Poll while Georgia continues to hold down the nation’s top spot. UK is one of seven Southeastern Conference programs among the updated Top 25 — Georgia (No. 1), Alabama (No. 10), Ole Miss (No. 13), Tennessee (No. 17), LSU (No. 20), Kentucky (No. 23), and Missouri (No. 25) make up the SEC’s representatives. Meanwhile, in-state rival Louisville shot up 10 spots to No. 15 following the Cardinals’ 33-20 upset win over Notre Dame.

Up next for Kentucky is a showdown against the Missouri Tigers, which also stayed in the Coaches Poll Top 25 despite losing to LSU 49-39 on Saturday. Missouri checks in at No. 25, a three-spot drop from last week. Kickoff is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 14 at 7:30 p.m. EST in Lexington on the SEC Network.

NEW: Week 7 College Football Coaches Poll🔥

Top 25: https://t.co/lANwhMQ6as pic.twitter.com/hVoxaESFeu

— On3 (@On3sports) October 8, 2023

The Week 7 Associated Press Poll will be released later this afternoon. Kentucky came into Saturday’s game ranked 20th in the country by the AP, their first time cracking the publication’s Top 25 all season. However, the ‘Cats could find themselves on the outside looking in once again this week.

Below is the entire updated Week 7 Coaches Poll.

USA TODAY Coaches Poll Week 7

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

Schools Dropped Out: No. 17 Miami; No. 24 Fresno State.

Others Receiving Votes: Miami 74; Wyoming 60; Air Force 58; Iowa 57; Maryland 37; Clemson 33; West Virginia 24; Wisconsin 23; Texas A&M 22; Tulane 18; James Madison 9; Brigham Young 9; Fresno State 4; Ohio 2; Memphis 2; Florida 2; Liberty 1.

ESPN’s updated FPI projections

After rising in ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI) over the last few weeks, Saturday’s loss did Kentucky no favors when it comes to the analytics. The Wildcats dropped down seven spots in the Week 7 FPI, falling to No. 38 in the country. As a result, UK’s average win-loss projections have also been updated. Kentucky is now projected to finish with an average record of 7.3-5.7. Those numbers were at 7.9-4.2 going into the weekend.

Additionally, Kentucky’s season-long projections have also dropped. The FPI gives the Wildcats a 94 percent chance to win six games this season (97.2 percent last week) and, most notably, a low 0.6 percent chance to win the SEC East division (6.4 percent last week). Meanwhile, Georgia was bumped up three spots to No. 4 in the FPI after beating the ‘Cats. The Bulldogs now have a 90.0 percent chance to win the East.

As for Kentucky’s next opponent, the Missouri Tigers, they fell two places in the FPI and are now just one spot ahead of UK at No. 36. Missouri lost to LSU over the weekend in a shootout, 49-39. The FPI still gives Kentucky a 55.8 percent chance to win when Missouri comes to Kroger Field next weekend.

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