USA Today releases end of season college football poll, ranking all 130 teams

At the end of the 2018 football season, the Kentucky Wildcats finished 12th in the final rankings after defeating Penn Station in the Citrus Bowl. After losing a ridiculous amount of talent from that team, many set the bar very low for the 2019 squad. Now that the dust has settled on the season, USA Today has re-ranked all 130 teams. Where did the Wildcats end up?

Right off the bat, USA Today disagrees with the College Football Playoff rankings as they list Ohio State ahead of LSU at No. 1. So it is impossible to know how Kentucky’s position would measure up if the CFP rankings extended past No. 25. Regardless, USA Today lists the Wildcats as the No. 46 team in the last heading into bowl season.

The Wildcats began the season as No. 52 on the preseason rankings, so they obviously have improved their stock. If you had told me Kentucky would lose their top three quarterbacks by the middle of the season and finish higher than where they began, I would have bet the house that you were wrong. But the magic of Lynn Bowden, Jr. took over and here we are.

Kentucky’s Belk Bowl opponent, Virginia Tech, saw an almost identical rise in the USA Today rankings. Beginning the preseason at No. 37, the Hokies closed in on the top 25 and finished the year at No. 31.

What do you think of the Wildcats being ranked No. 46? Too high? Too low? We will find out how accurate this is after they face off with the Hokies on New Year’s Eve.