Kentucky football keeps finding itself in front of a national audience.
The Wildcats’ 34-33 overtime win over LSU in Lexington was the eighth most-watched game of Week 6, according to Nielsen Big Data + Panel data, with an average of 2.22 million viewers. That number also included the scene after the final whistle, when Big Blue Nation stormed the field after upsetting Lane Kiffin’s No. 10-ranked Tigers.
The timing of the broadcast mattered, too. Kentucky kicked at 7:00 p.m.
ET on ESPN, right into the same window as Georgia’s trip to Alabama. That one had the bigger stage - ABC, a 7:30 p.m.
ET start, and a huge audience - and Georgia’s 20-17 road win drew 12.24 million viewers, the most watched game of Week 6 and the second most-watched college football game of the season.
So Kentucky’s number might have been even stronger without that heavyweight matchup pulling attention elsewhere. Even so, another top-10 showing in the ratings is nothing to sneeze at.
The Wildcats’ profile has only grown as they’ve moved to 5-1 and climbed to No. 15 in the latest AP Poll. Before the LSU game, Kentucky was already the seventh most-watched team in the country, averaging 5.144 million viewers. And the home loss to Alabama in Week 2 remains one of the season’s biggest TV draws, sitting as the ninth most-watched game overall with 7.28 million average viewers.
Now comes another test on the road at Oklahoma, a team fresh off knocking off then-No. 1 Texas in a game that averaged 9.8 million viewers on ABC.
Kentucky and Oklahoma will meet in Norman in a 7:30 p.m. ET night game, but this one will be on SEC Network, a setup that likely won’t bring the same kind of national TV crowd.
Nielsen also does not measure those views.
Complicating things further, No. 8 BYU will host No.
2 Notre Dame on ABC at the same time, while No. 20 Houston hosts No.
18 Oklahoma State on FOX. Even so, Kentucky will still have plenty of attention when the Wildcats take the field Saturday night.
In Other News...
Kentucky Just Added A Familiar Face Big Blue Nation Will Love
Kentucky officially filled out part of its basketball staff this week, announcing the hires of Alfred Aboya as an assistant coach and John Pelphrey as director of player development. Aboya arrives after coaching at NBA Academy Africa and with the Cameroon National Mens Basketball Team, while Pelphrey comes back to Lexington with plenty of experience from stops at Tennessee Tech and other programs.
Pelphreys return gives Big Blue Nation a familiar face with deep ties to the program, and the combination of his background and Aboyas international experience adds another layer to the Wildcats staff. For Kentucky, the moves bring in two coaches with different paths but plenty of basketball experience, as the program continues building out its support system around the roster. [Read more 🡒]
Kentucky Heads To Norman With Two Major Availability Concerns
Kentucky heads to Norman with the injury report already shaping part of the conversation, and the Wildcats have at least one notable name to watch on offense. Running back CJ Baxter is listed as questionable, while wide receiver Nic Anderson is probable, giving Kentucky some measure of optimism at one spot even as the backfield situation remains unsettled. Oklahomas report also matters for the matchup, with left tackle Michael Fasusi questionable as he works toward a return.
The rest of the availability picture is spread across both sideline reports, with several players on each team carrying different designations as game day approaches. For Kentucky, the question is not just who is active, but how much of the offense can be counted on if Baxter is limited or unavailable. In a road trip like this, the final injury decisions can quietly shape everything from play-calling to personnel groupings. [Read more 🡒]
Greg McElroy's New Top 15 Just Raised The Stakes For Kentucky
Greg McElroys latest Top 15 on his Always College Football podcast offered another early-season snapshot of where the national powers stand, and it put a fresh spotlight on the kind of company Kentucky hopes to keep. Georgia checked in at No. 1, with Indiana and Miami right behind, and McElroys list again underscored how much attention is being paid to teams that have already separated themselves through the opening stretch of the season.
For Kentucky, the value in a ranking like this is less about the number next to a rivals name and more about the standard it sets. McElroys commentary centered on how teams have played and what they still have in front of them, which only adds weight to every upcoming opportunity for the Wildcats to prove they belong in the same conversation with the sports elite. [Read more 🡒]