The College Football Playoff picture is still weeks away from taking shape in earnest, but Kentucky is already showing up in the conversation.
With the committee not set to unveil its first rankings for another two weeks, mid-October projections are doing the heavy lifting for now. Kentucky sits at 6-1 overall and alone atop the Southeastern Conference standings at 4-1 in league play, which has made the Wildcats a popular selection in this week’s mock brackets. That comes even though Kentucky is No. 12 in the Associated Press poll, a spot that would leave it just outside the field if the committee matched the AP order exactly.
The path, though, is straightforward enough.
If Kentucky finishes 11-1, it is in the SEC Championship Game and assured a place in the playoff no matter what happens there. A 10-2 finish should also be enough to get the Wildcats in. If that second loss comes in the SEC title game, Will Stein and company may have a more anxious wait before the bracket is revealed the next day.
At 9-3, Kentucky’s chances look shaky. One wrinkle is how the committee will treat the SEC’s shift to a nine-game conference schedule when weighing the impact of a third loss.
The playoff format itself is set up with automatic bids for the champions of the SEC, Big Ten, Big 12 and ACC, plus the highest-ranked conference champion from the American, Conference USA, MAC, Mountain West, Pac-12 and Sun Belt. Notre Dame also gets an automatic bid if it is ranked in the top 12.
The rest of the field comes from at-large selections based on the committee’s final ranking. Because the automatic spot for the top-ranked Group of Six champion is likely to come from outside the top 12, the at-large teams will probably be pulled from the top 11.
The top four teams get first-round byes. The other eight would play first-round games on campus sites, with the better seed hosting.
Among the latest projections, Kentucky has turned up in a few different spots. The Athletic has the Wildcats as the No. 11 seed facing No.
6 Ole Miss. CBS Sports has them slotted at No. 10 against No.
7 Ole Miss. Sports Illustrated also sees Kentucky as the No. 10 seed, but with Ohio State as the opponent.
ESPN and On3 both left Kentucky out of the projected playoff field.
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Jake Nawrot Looks Like Exactly What Will Stein Wants At Kentucky
Will Stein wasted little time laying out the traits he wants to build around at Kentucky, and the early recruiting picture fits that vision. The new Wildcats coach made it clear that quarterback accuracy and mental toughness will matter, and that is exactly the kind of profile Jake Nawrot brings to the conversation after completing more than 70% of his passes without throwing an interception during his high school season.
Nawrot is one piece of a broader offensive push that could keep gaining momentum for Kentucky. The Wildcats are also being projected as the favorite to land 4-star offensive tackle John Paul Carrico, a highly regarded in-state prospect, which would give Stein a chance to pair quarterback efficiency with added protection up front. For a staff trying to establish its identity quickly, those two names say plenty about the direction Kentucky wants to head. [Read more 🡒]
Kentuckys 6-1 Surge Just Sparked A New Will Stein Debate
Will Steins decision to gamble on fourth down late against Oklahoma fit the larger confidence around Kentucky right now, and it helped preserve a 21-13 win that pushed the Wildcats to 6-1 and kept them in the AP Top 25 conversation. The coach said he appreciated the way his team backed the call, a small detail that says plenty about where this group is at the moment: playing with enough belief to stay aggressive when the moment gets tight.
Kentuckys rise has also opened the door to a fresh debate around Stein and how much freedom he wants to give his offense in the biggest spots. With Vanderbilt next, he made clear the Wildcats cannot afford to coast on the Oklahoma result, stressing that there is still work to do and room to improve. For a team that has climbed this far this fast, the next step is learning how to handle the expectation that comes with it. [Read more 🡒]
Kentuckys 6-1 Start Faces A Reality Check In ESPNs SEC Rankings
Kentuckys 6-1 start has put the program in a far better place than it was a month ago, but the latest update from ESPNs Football Power Index is a reminder that the SEC still sorts itself out quickly. After Week 7, the leagues hierarchy shifted again as recent results from Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Auburn and Tennessee helped reshape the conversation around who looks like a true contender and who is still fighting for footing.
For the Wildcats, the bigger story is less about the record itself and more about where the numbers say they fit in the conference pecking order. ESPNs updated projections offer a snapshot of how each SEC team is being viewed right now, and Kentuckys position in that mix gives the rest of the season a sharper edge. The wins have created momentum, but the rankings suggest there is still plenty left to prove. [Read more 🡒]