Kentucky gets the weekend off, but the SEC race around the Wildcats is very much alive.
The No. 9 Wildcats, who have won six in a row and sit alone in first place in the conference, are idle in Week 9.
Will Stein, Kenny Minchey and Kentucky are 7-1 overall and 5-1 in the SEC, and they will not be back on the field until Nov. 7 at No. 16 Tennessee.
What happens elsewhere in the league could matter plenty for Kentucky’s path. The Wildcats and No.
3 Georgia are the only SEC teams entering the weekend with just one conference loss. Eight SEC teams head into Saturday with two league defeats, which keeps the middle of the standings crowded and volatile.
Saturday’s SEC slate features several games tied directly to that chase. No.
12 Ole Miss, 5-2 overall and 3-2 in the SEC, plays Auburn, 4-3 and 2-3, at 12:45 p.m. EDT on the SEC Network.
No. 17 Florida, 5-2 and 3-2, meets No.
3 Georgia, 6-1 and 4-1, at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium at 3:30 p.m. EDT on ABC.
Oklahoma, 4-3 and 2-2, takes on South Carolina, 4-3 and 2-3, at 4:15 p.m. EDT on the SEC Network.
Later, No. 11 Texas, 5-2 and 2-2, hosts Mississippi State, 4-3 and 2-3, at 7:30 p.m.
EDT on ESPN. No.
23 Missouri, 5-2 and 2-2, plays at Arkansas, 3-4 and 1-3, at 7:45 p.m. on ESPN.
Alabama, LSU and Tennessee are also off this week, with Alabama at 6-2 and 4-2 in the SEC, LSU at 6-2 and 3-2, and Tennessee at 6-2 and 3-2.
One eye, of course, has to stay on Knoxville. Tennessee is idle this week and will host Kentucky next Saturday at Neyland Stadium, a matchup that looms over the Wildcats’ brief pause.
Louisville also has a conference game on deck, hosting Stanford on Saturday at 3:15 p.m. EDT on the ACC Network. The Cardinals are 4-3 overall and 3-2 in the ACC, while Stanford is 4-4 and 2-3.
There are also several former Kentucky players and assistants in the spotlight. Jon Sumrall, the former UK linebacker and assistant coach now leading Florida, will take on Georgia after the Gators’ open date.
Neal Brown, the former Kentucky receiver and offensive coordinator, has North Texas rolling at 5-2 overall and 3-0 in The American, and the Mean Green host Florida Atlantic on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. EDT on ESPN.
Gerad Parker, another former Kentucky wide receiver and graduate assistant, takes Troy into a Thursday road game at James Madison after Troy fell 21-14 to previously winless Louisiana-Monroe.
A former Wildcat quarterback is searching for a firmer grip on a depth chart. Cutter Boley was benched at halftime of Arizona State’s 53-25 loss to Texas Tech two weeks ago, then sat again after four unsuccessful drives while filling in for injured Mikey Keene in last week’s 28-17 comeback win over Kansas State.
Arizona State, 4-3 and 2-2 in the Big 12, visits No. 8 BYU on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
EDT on FOX. Boley now appears to be third on the Sun Devils’ quarterback chart behind Keene, who is questionable, and true freshman Jake Fette, who has already been announced as the starter if Keene cannot play.
Elsewhere, former Kentucky wide receiver Chauncey Magwood has 18 catches for 221 yards and a touchdown at Purdue. The Boilermakers, 3-4 and 2-2 in the Big Ten, go to Penn State on Saturday at 4:15 p.m.
EDT on the Big Ten Network. Former UK cornerback Elijah Reed has started twice for Utah and has 16 tackles with six passes successfully defended.
The unbeaten Utes, 7-0 and 4-0 in the Big 12, travel to Cincinnati on Saturday at 3:45 p.m. EDT on ESPN.
The national board has its own heavyweight matchups. No.
22 Arizona, 6-1 and 3-1 in the Big 12, goes to No. 13 Texas Tech, 6-1 and 3-1, in a game that likely knocks the loser out of College Football Playoff contention.
No. 1 Miami, 7-0 and 5-0 in the ACC, heads to Chapel Hill to face North Carolina, where Bill Belichick and offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino are trying to steer the Tar Heels, 4-3 and 2-2, into the conversation.
No. 2 Ohio State, 6-1 and 4-0 in the Big Ten, travels to Southern California without injured starting quarterback Julian Sayin, who is dealing with an arm/shoulder injury, and takes on Lincoln Riley’s 6-2, 3-2 Trojans on NBC at 7:30 p.m.
EDT.
Closer to home, Western Kentucky dropped a 35-21 decision to Delaware on Tuesday in Bowling Green. Eastern Kentucky visits No.
1 Tarleton State on Saturday at 7 p.m. EDT on ESPN+.
Murray State plays at No. 9 Illinois State at 2 p.m.
EDT on ESPN+, and Morehead State meets Drake at 1 p.m. EDT at Phil Simms Stadium, also on ESPN+.
In the small-college ranks, NAIA No. 9 Georgetown hosts Cumberlands at 1:30 p.m.
EDT on Saturday. No.
11 Lindsey Wilson travels to Cumberland (Tennessee) at 2:30 p.m. EDT, with streaming available at gocumberlandathletics.com/watch/.
Pikeville heads to Union Commonwealth at 3 p.m. EDT in another intrastate matchup.
In Other News...
Braydon Hawthorne Just Gave Kentucky Fans A Real Early Question
Braydon Hawthorne gave Kentucky a useful glimpse of what he can bring in the exhibition matchup with UCF, and it went beyond just the points. He had seven by halftime, mixed in three blocked shots and looked comfortable enough on the floor to keep looking for his offense, even as the Wildcats were working through absences from other players.
What stood out most was the trust he earned in a pressure spot, with Kentucky turning to him on the final out-of-bounds play. He did not convert the two chances, but the fact that he was the one taking them says plenty about where he fits right now and why his early showing already has Kentucky fans wondering how much more he can be asked to do. [Read more 🡒]
Kentuckys Best Lineup Is Taking Shape Around One Big Debate
After three exhibition games, Kentuckys early 2026-27 lineup picture is starting to come into focus, and the biggest decisions have mostly been made on the floor. Mason Williams has pushed ahead of Zoom Diallo at point guard, Alex Wilkins has looked like the better fit at shooting guard even with some turnover issues, and Milan Momcilovic has continued to stand out as the best player on the roster. At the forward spots, Ousmane NDiaye appears to have the edge over Justin McBride at power forward, while Malachi Moreno has settled in as the starting center.
The shape of that group leaves Kentucky with a clearer sense of its rotation, but it also underscores the one debate that still hangs over the front end of the season. The Wildcats have enough performances to see where the preferred five may be headed, yet the exhibition work has also shown how much depends on balancing talent with execution. For now, the staff can point to a lineup that has separated itself, even if the questions around how it all fits together are not fully gone. [Read more 🡒]
Kentuckys Roster Is Earning Serious SEC Respect Before Opening Night
The preseason praise is already rolling in for Kentucky before opening night, with Southeastern Conference coaches slotting both Milan Momcilovic and Malachi Moreno on the leagues All-SEC teams. Momcilovic landed on the second team after arriving from Iowa State, where he led the country in total 3-pointers made and 3-point percentage last season, while Moreno checked in on the third team as he heads into his second year in Lexington.
For Kentucky, the recognition is another sign that this roster is being taken seriously well beyond campus. Momcilovic brings the kind of perimeter shooting that can change the shape of an offense, and Moreno is coming off an All-SEC Freshman Team season that gave the Wildcats a dependable building block inside. The bigger question now is how quickly those pieces fit together once the games start counting. [Read more 🡒]