The latest round of preseason bowl projections isn’t doing Kentucky any favors.
Athlon’s new way-too-early look at the college football season left the Wildcats out of the bowl picture entirely, and the outlook gets even harsher when you dig into where Steve Lasson placed them in the SEC pecking order. Kentucky came in at No. 15 in the conference, which would put the Wildcats at the very bottom of the league alongside the Arkansas Razorbacks.
That’s a bleak read on a team that’s been getting plenty of buzz in Lexington thanks to Will Stein. The excitement around him has been loud enough to make a lot of Big Blue Nation tune out what outsiders think, but the broader national view still isn’t buying an immediate turnaround.
Lasson did acknowledge Stein’s rise, writing, "Although Stein faces a learning curve as a first-time head coach in the rugged SEC, he’s one of the top rising stars after coordinating some of the nation’s top offenses at Oregon," before the projection still landed on Kentucky missing out on a bowl in year one.
The offense is drawing most of the attention because of the turnover on that side of the ball, but Athlon’s assessment pointed squarely at the defense as the bigger problem. Lasson noted, "Although the new pieces on offense are generating the bulk of the offseason attention, Kentucky has to improve its defense (28.4 points allowed in SEC play) to contend for a bowl."
There’s no denying the roster has changed a lot, even if some familiar pieces from Mark Stoops’ final season are still around. The foundation has been reshaped, but not every part of the old team has disappeared.
Still, a No. 15 finish feels awfully low for a Will Stein-led group. That doesn’t mean a bowl trip should be treated as a lock, but it does show how little confidence there is nationally in Kentucky’s current outlook.
And if the Wildcats are going to beat those expectations, they’ll have to do it the hard way. In the SEC, that usually means stealing a couple games you’re not supposed to win. Kentucky has done that before at Kroger Field, even in a rough season like last year, when the Wildcats were in tight losses to Ole Miss and Texas that could have changed everything.
In Other News...
Will Steins First Kentucky Season Just Got Even More Brutal
Will Steins first season in Lexington is already shaping up to be a grind, and the early read on Kentuckys 2026 slate only sharpens that reality. ESPN FPI has the Wildcats at No. 4 in the country for schedule difficulty, a brutal backdrop for a coach trying to establish a new identity while navigating a league schedule loaded with Alabama, Texas A&M, South Carolina and a long list of other familiar SEC headaches.
The challenge is obvious, but so is the reason for some optimism around the program. Stein has already started to build momentum on the recruiting trail, including a promising 2027 class, and his track record at Oregon gives Kentucky reason to believe the long-term picture can improve even if the short-term road is steep. The question now is how much patience the Wildcats will need if the results in year one get tested by one of the toughest slates in the sport. [Read more 🡒]
Mark Pope Just Added Fuel To Kentuckys Biggest Rotation Debate
Trent Noahs sophomore season at Kentucky never quite got off the ground the way some around the program expected, with his shooting wavering even as his rebounding and defensive effort continued to stand out. John Calipari had already pointed to Noahs impact on that end of the floor during preseason camp, and the conversation around him has only grown louder as fans debate how much run he should get this season, especially with the Wildcats looking for reliable help at the two spot.
Mark Popes latest comments only sharpened the discussion. He has been openly impressed with Noah through the first month of camp and sees a player whose value goes well beyond the box score, which is exactly why the rotation question has become so interesting. The remaining issue is whether Noah can make enough progress as a shooter and defender to turn all that praise into a real, every-night role. [Read more 🡒]
Kentucky Just Entered A Massive Battle For A Surging Elite Guard
Kentucky has jumped into the mix for one of the fastest-rising guards in the 2027 class, extending a scholarship offer to NaVarro Bowman Jr. after his recent surge on the national stage. The point guard helped lead the USA U17 National team to a gold medal, and his profile has only grown as major programs across the country continue to circle.
Bowmans recruitment is still in its early stages, but the list of suitors is already starting to look like a heavyweight fight. He is lining up official visits to Arizona and Texas, with North Carolina and Illinois also in the mix, giving Kentucky an immediate chance to make up ground in a race that figures to stay crowded for a while. [Read more 🡒]