Kentucky walked into Saturday as the team almost nobody outside the program was willing to trust against No. 10 LSU. By the end, the Wildcats had a 35-34 overtime win, a fresh reason to celebrate, and a little extra ammo for the next time somebody wants to overlook them.
Will Stein noticed the disrespect. He made that clear when he opened his press conference by pointing to the College Gameday picks that had all gone against Kentucky.
“We’ve got a really good football team,” Stein said to open his press conference. “A really good football team.
People counted us out. I took a picture of College Gameday this morning.
Everybody picked LSU. Keep doing that.
I appreciate that. Gives us a lot of fuel, a lot of fire, because everybody doubts us.”
That line landed because the screenshot had already been making the rounds. The entire College Gameday panel picked LSU over Kentucky, though Nick Saban did waver and choose the Cats as his Superdog of the Week. Still, the overall sweep against Kentucky was the kind of thing a locker room remembers.
Kentucky’s social media team remembered too. The program took a fake Kenny Minchey quote that had been displayed by LSU on a video board in its practice facility and turned it into a victory graphic after the game. It was a sharp, petty little flourish - and it fit the mood perfectly.
The win pushed Kentucky to 5-1, with its only loss coming against Alabama, which later suffered its first loss of the season to No. 2 Georgia. That leaves the Cats in a spot that would have sounded outrageous not long ago: possible College Football Playoff contenders.
And the schedule isn’t giving them much time to settle in. Oklahoma is next after beating No. 1 Texas in the Red River Rivalry, which only adds to the buzz building around Kentucky’s season.
For now, though, the message from Stein and the program is pretty simple: keep doubting them. The Wildcats are clearly paying attention.
In Other News...
Lane Kiffin Brought A Familiar Lexington Gameday Habit Back Again
Lane Kiffins gameday routine has become part of the soundtrack whenever he shows up in Lexington, and before LSUs primetime visit to Kentucky, the Tigers coach again leaned into the same habit he has kept for years: hot yoga. It is the kind of detail that has followed Kiffin through stops at Tennessee and Ole Miss, and it adds a little extra texture to a matchup that already has plenty of familiarity for Kentucky fans.
Kiffin has faced the Wildcats six times with three different schools, with the results bouncing around along the way, and his latest trip brought back a ritual that has become almost as recognizable as his sideline presence. Kentucky coach Will Stein has earned praise from Kiffin, even if he does not share the LSU coachs enthusiasm for hot yoga, which is just one more small contrast in a rivalry that keeps finding new layers. [Read more 🡒]
Kentucky Is Getting Doubted Again Before A Massive SEC Test
The build-up to Kentuckys SEC showdown with LSU has already turned into a familiar exercise in skepticism, at least if you listened to the College GameDay panel. Kentucky enters the matchup as an 8.5-point underdog, and the discussion around it reflected the split that tends to follow the Wildcats when the stage gets bigger. Kirk Herbstreit and Nick Saban offered cautious optimism about Kentuckys chances, while other voices on the panel stayed far more guarded about what the Wildcats might be able to do.
For Kentucky, that mix of respect and doubt is hardly new, but it does add a little more edge to a game that already matters plenty in the SEC picture. The conversation around the matchup also showed how differently the Wildcats are being viewed from network to network, which only makes the spot on the schedule feel heavier. The real test now is whether Kentucky can turn those mixed opinions into something more convincing once the game is played. [Read more 🡒]
Roman Harper Turns Kentucky's Latest Snub Into A Huge Statement Game
Roman Harper spent part of the pregame buildup making the case that Kentucky deserved more respect after its strong start under Will Stein, and it was a pointed reminder of how quickly perception can lag behind results in the SEC. The former Alabama safety, now an SEC Nation analyst, pointed to the Wildcats recent wins and the way they still found themselves slipping out of the AP Top 25, a move that added a little extra edge to a matchup already carrying plenty of weight.
Now Kentucky gets a primetime stage against LSU with a chance to turn that frustration into something tangible, and the conversation around the Wildcats has only grown louder because of it. The betting market has its own opinions about where Kentucky stands in this one, but Harpers message was aimed more at the bigger picture, the idea that this is the kind of game where a team can change how its viewed with one strong performance. [Read more 🡒]