Kirk Herbstreit went against the grain on Saturday, and he didn’t do it quietly.
With Alabama in Lexington for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff on ABC, the longtime ESPN College GameDay analyst was the lone voice on the show to back Kentucky, while the rest of the crew leaned the other way. Herbstreit said the others would pick the Wildcats “if they had the stones to do it,” then made his own call for Kentucky to pull the upset.
That choice fits the mood around Kroger Field. Lexington has been buzzing all week, and the scene around the stadium was described as one of the loudest in a long time, even with rain hanging over the day.
Will Stein had already asked fans to sneak in flasks so they could be in their seats and yell obscenities at Alabama players during warm-ups, and Kentucky AD J Batt said the university heard complaints about the speakers and would do its best to get it right. Earlier in the day, Stein even climbed onto a chair and led fans in a C-A-T-S chant.
For Kentucky, the backdrop feels bigger than one afternoon. The energy around the program has shifted, and Herbstreit’s pick lines up with the idea that Alabama is vulnerable right now.
He pointed to last year’s Alabama team quitting in the Rose Bowl, a 38-3 loss that was even worse than the final score suggested. He also noted the Tide’s loss to Vanderbilt and the injury situation that has left Alabama without the only offensive lineman who started last season, Michael Carroll.
That matters because Alabama is turning to Keelon Russell to lead the offense this year, and he has never started an SEC road game. That combination gives Kentucky a real opening, at least in Herbstreit’s view.
It also puts the focus squarely on Stein to deliver in the kind of game Kentucky has spent years trying to win. Mark Stoops got the Wildcats to a level they hadn’t reached before, and Kroger Field was rocking before Kentucky’s 10-game SEC losing streak began. But Stoops never solved Alabama, going 0-4 against the Tide, and he was also 0-13 against Georgia.
Stein won’t get a crack at Georgia this year unless both teams reach the SEC Championship. Today is about Alabama, and about whether Kentucky can turn all that energy around the stadium into something that shows up on the field.
In Other News...
Kentucky Sends A Clear Message With Its Alabama Captain Choice
Will Stein has made it clear he wants Kentuckys leadership group to be earned week by week, not stamped in place before the season ever settles in. So for the Alabama game, the Wildcats will be led by quarterback Kenny Minchey, defensive back Ty Bryant, linebacker Bo Barnes and offensive lineman Olaus Alinen, a mix that reflects both the early-season roles and the way this staff is trying to reward production, steadiness and buy-in as the schedule stiffens.
Mincheys strong debut gave Kentucky a timely lift, while Alinens move to a new position has become part of the conversation as the Wildcats keep sorting out what they can trust up front. With No. 12 Alabama coming in, the captaincy choice doubles as a snapshot of where Kentucky believes its identity is forming, and it hints at which players the staff expects to lean on most when the defense across the field starts turning up the pressure. [Read more 🡒]
Kentucky Fans Gave Mark Pope A Pregame Moment You Had To See
Before Kentuckys football game against Alabama, the SEC Network turned the area outside William T. Young Library into a live pregame stop, and it wound up becoming something of a campus celebration for Mark Pope. The Kentucky mens basketball coach took the stage in front of students and fans as the network broadcast from the location, giving the crowd a chance to see him up close before the days attention shifted to football.
Pope, who turned 54, got a birthday surprise when the crowd sang Happy Birthday to him, and he spent time interacting with students on stage. It was a small but memorable moment for a coach still settling into life in Lexington, the kind of scene that reminds you how quickly Kentucky fans can turn even a network appearance into an event. [Read more 🡒]
Floridas Backcourt Could Hinge On Denzel Aberdeens Court Fight
Floridas backcourt picture for the coming seasons has taken on an off-court wrinkle, with Denzel Aberdeen at the center of a legal dispute that could shape when he is eligible to play again. The issue stems from the NCAAs new 5-in-5 rule, and it has quickly become part of the conversation around a guard rotation that already matters to Kentucky fans tracking the Gators as a conference rival.
Todd Golden has said he feels good about Aberdeens chances, pointing to the guards academic progress and the limited role he had as a freshman. The backdrop is the NCAAs decision to keep the rule from applying retroactively to players in the 2022 class, which has opened the door to challenges and left Aberdeens situation unresolved for now. [Read more 🡒]