Predicting each of the Cats’ remaining games as they look to make a ninth-straight bowl game.
The Kentucky Wildcats are now heading into Week 9 of the college football season, and to this point, it’s fair to say it’s been pretty disappointing.
Sitting at 3-4 (1-4 in SEC), the Cats have pulled off a major upset against Ole Miss and then failed to show up against Vanderbilt and Florida over the past two weeks. Let’s not forget they almost upset Georgia in Lexington as well. It has been a roller coaster of a season, and with five games left, the ride could continue into the postseason if the Cats can get three more wins.
So, we wanted to take a look and give a prediction of how the next five games will go for the Cats.
Week 9: Auburn
Auburn comes to town this Saturday with just as many question marks as the Cats. The loser of this game will likely become the second-worst team in the conference (thank you, Mississippi State), making this matchup important, especially for Kentucky. Win this game, and bowl eligibility seems attainable.
FanDuel has the Cats favored by 1.5 points. I think the Cats finally answered the bell to win their last SEC home game of the season.
- ESPN FPI: Kentucky has a 51.2% chance of winning.
- Prediction: Win (4-4)
Week 10: at Tennessee
The Volunteers don’t look like the world-beaters they resembled in the early part of the season. With three straight games of not scoring in the first half, Josh Heupel’s offense has been slowed down tremendously. Despite that fact, they still managed to knock off Florida and Alabama in Neyland.
FanDuel already has the Cats as 14.5-point underdogs for this one.
I will not pick Kentucky to win this game until they consistently do so. However, this Tennessee team is beatable if the Cats have any semblance of offense.
- ESPN FPI: Kentucky has a 10.2% chance of winning.
- Prediction: Loss (4-5)
Week 12: Murray State
Let’s keep this one short and sweet. If the Cats lose this game, then we might as well close the doors on Kroger Field for the year.
The Racers are 1-6 at the moment and will likely lose their next three before heading to Lexington.
- ESPN FPI: Kentucky has a 99% of winning.
- Prediction: Win (5-5)
Week 13: at Texas
This has long been a popular spot for many in the fanbase to pick an upset. However, the Longhorns are one of the top-five teams in football and have absolutely looked the part of a national title team for most of this season.
I won’t say there isn’t a chance of an upset (just look at the Ole Miss game), but a lot of things will have to play in the Cats’ favor to win this one in Austin.
- ESPN FPI: Kentucky has a 5.2% chance of winning.
- Prediction: Loss (5-6)
Week 14: Louisville
Once again in the Stoops era, the perception of this squad will come down to the rivalry matchup with the Cards. Win, and the fanbase will be very forgiving. Lose, and the fanbase will not be joyful heading into the nine-month football hiatus.
This matchup this year, though, should be interesting. The Cats and the Cards are exactly the opposite. Kentucky has a solid defense and an awful offense, while Louisville has a solid offense and an awful defense.
To me, this game will very much be a coin-flip, but it is hard to pick against Mark Stoops and the Cats against Louisville in recent memory. Especially with bowl eligibility on the line, I think the Cats will find a way to pick up another win in this series.
Kentucky gets it done and reaches bowl eligibility for a ninth-straight season under Coach Stoops.
- ESPN FPI: Kentucky has a 32.1% chance of winning.
- Prediction: Win (6-6)
Going to be an interesting next few weeks. Let’s hope the Cats can pull it out and make another bowl game this season.
How do you see the rest of the season playing out? Sound off in the comments section!