:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/59301799/usa_today_10504369.0.jpg)
Kentucky Wildcats football appeared to prove it was a mainstay in the middle of the road in the SEC last year. The Wildcats went 7-5 in the regular season for the second straight season, and finished third in the SEC East with a 4-4 record in conference play.
The Wildcats really only seemed to get better in the offseason. They’ll bring on JUCO transfer quarterback Terry Wilson, who’ll most likely give the Cats an improvement at quarterback, and they returned all their junior defensive players who were considering the NFL Draft.
Despite all that, ESPN’s Football Power Index projects that UK will win 5.4 games next season. That’s second to last in the conference, with the Vanderbilt Commodores being projected to win 3.9 games.
ESPN Football Power Index
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) April 5, 2018
Projected Wins for 2018
Georgia - 10.9
Alabama - 10.8
Auburn - 9.1
Mississippi State - 8.4
Florida - 8.1
Texas A&M - 7.4
Mizzou - 7.3
South Carolina - 7.2
Ole Miss - 6.3
LSU - 6.2
Arkansas - 5.9
Tennessee - 5.8
Kentucky - 5.4
Vanderbilt - 3.9
Kentucky won’t by any means be threatening the Georgia Bulldogs or Alabama Crimson Tide at the top of the conference, but predicting that they won’t even be bowl eligible after back-to-back 7-5 seasons and an offseason where they seemingly got better is a bit shocking.
Some things I think the FPI did get right: Alabama and Georgia will be great, Vanderbilt will be bad and the South Carolina Gamecocks will be average.