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With only four days until the Kentucky Wildcats kick off their 2021 season, a lot of national analysts and media outlets are projecting Mark Stoop’s team to have a stellar season, and depending on where you read, might have a shot at a double-digit win regular season.
With all that optimism comes a little skepticism from others as well.
In a recent preseason rankings poll released by On3, Kentucky came in at 48th, which would be the ninth-ranked team in the SEC.
Here is how they have the full SEC ranked:
1. Alabama
5. Georgia
7. Texas A&M
12. Florida
21. LSU
28. Ole Miss
33. Auburn
38. Missouri
48. Kentucky
54. Arkansas
70. Tennessee
80. South Carolina
96. Vanderbilt
For Kentucky a lot of this ranking is based on their lack to move the ball through the air for the last several seasons. Here is what went into their placement:
“The buzz: What kind of impact can new offensive coordinator Liam Coen have? The Wildcats have not thrown the ball well of late, but that is expected to change. The offensive line again will be good, headed by star Darian Kinnard, and Chris Rodriguez Jr. is a big-timer at running back.”
The hype around the Kentucky program continues to grow as kickoff gets closer and closer. It could a season where they finish in second place for the East, or it could be rather disappointing if this new offensive system doesn’t get better production than fans have seen over the last several years.
48th overall seems a little low to me, but with so many question marks surrounding what the offense will look like and how it will preform, the ranking does make some sense.
Luckily, we won’t have to wait long to see how good this team is.
You can read the full rankings from 1-130 here.