Kentucky’s stunning 31-21 win over No. 9 Texas A&M did more than shake up Saturday’s scoreboard. It put Will Stein’s first Kentucky team on a real path to bowl eligibility.
That’s a big swing for a program that entered the year with plenty of uncertainty. Kentucky had gone 4-8 in 2024 and 5-7 in 2025 under Mark Stoops, and the schedule got tougher when the SEC shifted to a nine-game conference slate, forcing the Wildcats to drop one nonconference game and replace it with a harder opponent.
Expectations around the fan base were all over the map before the season. Some saw another year stuck in the 4-8 or 5-7 range. Others thought Stein could get Kentucky to six wins and back into bowl season.
The upset of Texas A&M changes the math. Kentucky still has a demanding stretch ahead, but the door to six wins is open.
The rest of the schedule starts with South Alabama at home, a game that should give the Wildcats a strong chance to pick up win No. 3.
Then comes a road trip to South Carolina, where the Gamecocks have had their own issues at times this season. If Kentucky can win there, it would be Stein’s fourth victory and would carry extra weight with a four-game losing streak to South Carolina on the line.
A win at South Carolina would also give quarterback Kenny Minchey and the Wildcats a needed jolt of confidence before the schedule turns even rougher.
Next up is LSU at home, and that’s a tough ask no matter where it’s played. The Tigers simply bring more overall talent. After that, Kentucky heads to Oklahoma for another road test that figures to be difficult.
In that projected path, Kentucky would sit at 4-3.
Then comes Vanderbilt at home. With the Commodores moving on without Diego Pavia, Kentucky may have a real shot to grab win No. 5 and move to within one victory of bowl eligibility with four games left.
After a bye week, the Wildcats go to Tennessee, where the Volunteers have controlled the rivalry since Kentucky’s 2020 win. Breaking that run would be a major task for Stein and his team.
That leaves Florida, Missouri and Louisville to finish the regular season. Kentucky could win all three, split them, or drop them all. But after taking down Texas A&M, the Wildcats have positioned themselves so they may need only one win from that final stretch to reach six.
If they get there, Stein would send Kentucky to a bowl game in his first season.
The Wildcats have not been to a bowl since 2023 and have not won one since 2020. Their 2021 Citrus Bowl win over Iowa was later vacated.
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Kentucky Has A Rare Chance To End One Painful Texas A&M Trend
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The last Kentucky win over Texas A&M came in 1952, a reminder of just how long this road has been. The teams have not played often, but their most recent meeting in 2018 ended with a Texas A&M overtime victory, leaving Kentucky with another reminder of how hard this matchup has been to crack. [Read more 🡒]