Wildcats check in at No. 23 in College Football Playoff rankings

UPDATE 2

The Kentucky Wildcats are back in the College Football Playoff rankings.

During Tuesday’s CFP ranking show, the Wildcats checked in at No. 23. They’re actually one spot behind No. 22 Arkansas, which could have an impact on which school is chosen for the prestigious Citrus Bowl when it’s time for selections to be made next Sunday.

Regardless, it’s a major accomplishment to finish the regular season in the CFP rankings. It’s appropriate this comes on the same day Mark Stoops agreed to a long-term extension to remain at UK for the foreseeable future.

UPDATE

As expected, the Kentucky Wildcats are now ranked in both of the major top 25 polls.

The latest Coaches Top 25 Poll has the Cats up three spots to No. 22, while the AP Top 25 Poll has them at No. 25.

As for the latest ESPN power rankings, Kentucky checked in at No. 23 with this assessment from Shea Carlson.

The Wildcats got written off nationally after three straight losses in the middle of the season but closed it out with three straight wins to finish 9-3. Saturday’s performance was an exclamation point to the campaign, as two-point underdog Kentucky downed rival Louisville 52-21 in a game that wasn’t even that close. Kentucky QB Will Levis had a career day with 113 rushing yards and four touchdowns, while the Wildcats racked up seven rushing scores. The victory means the Governor’s Cup is staying in Lexington for the third straight season.

AP Top 25 Poll

1. Georgia (62 first-place votes)
2. Michigan
3. Cincinnati
4. Alabama
5. Oklahoma State
6. Notre Dame
7. Ohio State
8. Ole Miss
9. Baylor
10. Oregon
11. Michigan State
12. BYU
13. Oklahoma
14. Utah
15. Iowa
16. Houston
17. Pitt
18. Wake Forest
19. San Diego State
20. Louisiana
21. NC State
22. Clemson
23. Arkansas
24. Texas A&M
25. Kentucky

Others receiving votes: Wisconsin 68, UTSA 58, Appalachian State 50, Minnesota 37, Purdue 21, Mississippi State 7, Penn State 5, Army 5, Fresno State 1

Coaches Top 25 Poll

Coaches Poll top 25 below.

1. Georgia (62 first-place votes)
2. Alabama
3. Michigan
4. Cincinnati
5. Oklahoma State
6. Notre Dame
7. Ohio State
8. Ole Miss
9. Baylor
10. Oregon
11. Oklahoma
12. Iowa
13. Michigan State
14. BYU
15. Pitt
16. Houston
17. Utah
18. Wake Forest
19. San Diego State
20. NC State
21. Louisiana
22. Kentucky
23. Texas A&M
24. Clemson
25. Arkansas

Others receiving votes: Wisconsin 100; UTSA 36; Appalachian State 30; Air Force 16; Minnesota 13; Purdue 11; Utah State 8; Coastal Carolina 8; Penn State 5; UCLA 3; Fresno State 3; Mississippi State 2.

Be sure to check back on Tuesday for the latest College Football Playoff Rankings!

The Kentucky Wildcats finish the 2021 regular season at 9-3 following a 52-21 win over the Louisville Cardinals. It was the first edition of the Governor’s Cup since 2019 after COVID-19 led to the series’ cancellation last season.

It’s pretty uncommon for an 8-4 SEC team to be unranked, but that was the case with Kentucky after being snubbed from the most recent College Football Playoff rankings and AP Top 25 Poll.

Of course, Kentucky did check in at No. 25 in the Coaches Poll, but that doesn’t get a number next to your name on the ESPN ticker. This time of the year, that CFP ranking is the only ranking worth significant relevance.

That said, Kentucky should now be in the top 25 of any and every ranking.

The critics will say Kentucky doesn’t have a win over a Power 5 program with a winning record.

The supporters will say Kentucky faced eight teams with bowl eligibility and went 5-3 against them.

Rank these Cats.

Where do you think they should be? Let us know in the comments section, and we’ll update this post with the latest rankings throughout the day.