CBS Sports has released its comprehensive 130-team ranking, which has the Kentucky Wildcats ranked 51st in the country.
UK is ranked 11th among SEC teams on the list. The teams ranked above them are: Alabama (1), Auburn (9), LSU (12), Georgia (15), Florida (16), Tennessee (26), Arkansas (32), Mississippi State (36), Texas A&M (41) and South Carolina (42).
They’re ranked above Ole Miss (56), Vanderbilt (62) and Missouri (73).
For what it’s worth Louisville is also ranked way ahead of them at No. 17.
I thought Kentucky’s ranking was fair at first glance, but after going through the SEC’s rankings it seems like they got low-balled. They’re going to have a legitimate chance to beat multiple teams within the top 26, and I certainly wouldn’t bet against them beating South Carolina this year.
The average reader seems to think Kentucky’s ranking is fair though, at this point 55 percent of people think their ranking is too high, and 45 percent think it’s too low.
You can read the rest of the rankings here.
Anyone who watched Kentucky last year knows this team will be better than 51st, but in the deep and grueling SEC, even good teams sometimes end up with losing records. it’s very possible a 5-7 Kentucky teams still ends up being one of the 40-50 best teams in college football, especially based on how this ranking played out.
That said, expect these Cats to claw their way to at least seven wins.