Mark Pope has already found a way to get Kentucky’s media involved before the Wildcats ever tip off the 2026-27 season, and Kirby Smart clearly noticed.
Pope is set to roll out “Media Madness” next month, a twist that will flip the usual script and put journalists and broadcasters on the floor after years of covering the team. The full details of the challenge aren’t entirely clear, but the point is simple enough: Pope wants to see how the media handles itself on the hardwood in September.
That idea seemed to echo with Smart as Georgia gets ready for its opener against Tennessee State on Saturday. With heat indices expected to climb above 100 degrees at Sanford Stadium, the Georgia coach was asked how his team is handling the conditions.
Smart didn’t sound worried about his players. He sounded more interested in whether everyone else could tough it out.
“I’ll be interested to see; it’s as much about our players as I do about our fans. See if they can handle it, see if you guys can handle it. Y’all get out of that air conditioning and come out here with us, see if y’all can handle 110 heat index and go up and down the field with 25 pounds of pads on,” Smart said.
“You think you’ll be all right? If you wear all the equipment, I’ll give it to you. I’ll put your ass out there.”
Smart added: “You’ll be like these pro players coming back, just slower and older.”
For anyone wondering whether that sounds like a job offer, the answer is no. It sounds more like a warning.
The heat won’t be limited to Athens, either. Alabama fans are already upset about an 11 am kickoff against East Carolina, with heat indices expected to top 100 there as well.
Kentucky, though, should have a less punishing start. The Wildcats open against Youngstown State at 1 PM EST in Lexington, where early forecasts call for temperatures in the high 80s and a heat index a little above 90. That’s still warm, but it doesn’t sound like anything this Kentucky team hasn’t already dealt with.
Their first fall camp scrimmage came on the hottest day of 2026, and while it was a sloppy outing, Stein wasn’t interested in using the weather as an excuse.
“I’m not going to let weather or heat play a factor into why it might look a certain way, because ultimately, this is going to be the temperature for the first game,” Stein said a few weeks ago. “We’re on turf.
It’s going to be hot. It’s the first game of September.”
So Kentucky should be ready for the weather when it kicks off. The rest of us should be ready too: hydrate, and wear white to Kroger Field.
In Other News...
Kentucky Already Has One Week 1 Threat It Cant Ignore
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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Is Closing In On A Kentucky Greats Mark
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He is 17 blocks shy of John Walls mark of 439, and he has gotten there in fewer games, which leaves open the possibility that the record could fall this season. For Kentucky fans, it is another example of how Gilgeous-Alexanders two-way value has made him one of the most complete players ever to come through Lexington. [Read more 🡒]