Kentucky’s upset of No. 10 LSU did more than add another marquee win to the ledger. It pushed the Wildcats into a place few would have imagined this early in Will Stein’s first season: legitimate College Football Playoff conversation.
At 5-1, Kentucky has stacked up the kind of résumé that national analysts can’t ignore. The Wildcats have two top-10 wins, two SEC road wins and two overtime victories, and now all three of the biggest national outlets - On3, CBS Sports and ESPN - have them in the CFP mix with six games left in the new era.
Andy Staples of On3 had Kentucky slotted at No. 10 and pointed to Stein’s aggressiveness as a defining trait.
“Of course, Kentucky coach Will Stein was going for two at the end of the first overtime against LSU. He did the same thing last week against South Carolina. Stein has immediately changed the culture at Kentucky, and the Wildcats are stacking wins in a way that suggests they can compete for a College Football Playoff berth.”
CBS Sports’ Brad Crawford went even further, projecting a CFP matchup between Kentucky and Indiana.
Projection: (11) Kentucky at (6) Indiana
“That’s right - Will Stein and Kentucky have entered the CFP zone. The Wildcats are 5-1 this season with consecutive 35-34 overtime wins, the latest coming against 10th-ranked LSU. It’s a devastating loss for the Tigers, who drop out of the CFP mix this week and are one loss away from being out of it altogether.”
ESPN’s Heather Dinich also slotted Kentucky into the field at No. 12, while noting the mix of quality wins and a strong enough loss to keep the Wildcats in good standing.
“The Wildcats have a rare combination: a top-10 win and a top-10 loss. Their lone stumble this season was in Week 2 against Alabama.
The selection committee looks at who teams lost to, and Kentucky’s loss to the Tide would be viewed more favorably than Mizzou’s loss to Mississippi State, which was hammered by Alabama. Kentucky has won back-to-back overtime SEC games, including on the road in Week 5 at South Carolina, which just beat Florida, and Saturday against what was a top-10 LSU team.
Kentucky is one of the top teams in the country in ESPN’s strength of record metric, which has aligned historically with the CFP playoff teams. It would be more difficult for the average top-25 team to achieve the same record as Kentucky against the same opponents than most of the top 12 teams listed here.
Kentucky’s strength of schedule to date is also significantly better than that of Texas Tech and Missouri.”
Dinich did include one important note:
“If the playoffs were today, Kentucky would get bumped out of the bracket for the highest-ranked team from the Group of 6 on Selection Day.”
The path forward is clear enough. Kentucky needs to keep handling business on the road before the toughest remaining matchup arrives at Missouri on Nov.
- Dinich highlighted the stretch ahead: “Three of the next five games are on the road, including Saturday at Oklahoma and Nov. 7 at Tennessee,” and added, “If Kentucky is going to stay relevant in the CFP race, it needs to avoid a second loss before heading to Mizzou.”
ESPN’s other field projections backed that up. In a separate feature, three of 11 ESPN experts included Kentucky in the current 12-team bracket, and two of them placed the Wildcats inside the top 10.
Max Olson had Kentucky at No. 10, while Jake Trotter also slotted the Wildcats at No. 10 in his projection.
For a team that entered the season without this kind of spotlight, that’s a pretty strong Sunday morning.
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Kentuckys LSU Celebration Came With A Price Fans Will Debate
Kentuckys wild scene after its 35-34 overtime win over LSU carried the kind of energy fans will remember for a long time, but it also brought an immediate financial hit. The SEC fined the University of Kentucky $500,000 for violating the leagues competition area access policy after supporters stormed the field, a penalty tied to the conferences increased enforcement for those situations beginning in 2025.
Will Stein also weighed in on the celebration, which only adds to the debate over how much is spontaneous joy and how much becomes a problem for the school. Under SEC rules, the fine can be waived if fans wait until officials and the visiting team have left the field, but that did not happen here, leaving Kentucky to absorb the cost along with the aftermath of one of its biggest wins. [Read more 🡒]
Kentucky's LSU Celebration Just Came With A Brutal Price
Kentuckys overtime win over LSU gave the Wildcats a huge on-field moment and a costly off-field reminder of how the SEC now handles field-storming celebrations. The league announced that Kentucky will have to pay LSU $500,000 after fans rushed the field following the victory, a penalty tied to a 2025 SEC rule governing access to the competition area.
The fine is paid directly to the opposing team in conference games, so LSU will receive the money before its next SEC matchup. For Kentucky, the celebration came after a result that moved the Wildcats to 5-1, but the aftermath leaves the program dealing with a price tag as well as a signature win. [Read more 🡒]
Kentucky Faces A Tougher SEC Test Than Fans May Expect
Kentuckys next SEC road challenge comes with plenty of attention attached, and the numbers are not in the Wildcats favor. Oklahoma enters the Oct. 17 matchup installed as a 6.5-point favorite, with betting markets and ESPNs Matchup Predictor both leaning heavily toward the Sooners after their latest surge.
The context around Oklahoma matters here, too. Brent Venables team just knocked off No. 1 Texas in a tight game, and even with a 2-2 record, the Sooners have put themselves back into the conversation as a team capable of swinging big moments. For Kentucky, that means walking into a matchup that looks far trickier than it might have on paper a few weeks ago. [Read more 🡒]