ESPN places Kentucky Football in surprising tier

We are in mid-August, which means college football is just mere weeks away. This week, the coaches published their preseason Top 25 poll. ESPN went a step further and placed all 136 FBS teams among twenty tiers.

Unsurprisingly, the Wildcats did not find themselves in the Coaches’ Top 25 poll, nor among the top tiers. However, they were placed in a tier that is arguably above most fans’ expectations, the “Even Stevens” tier. The 12th of 20 tiers, this tier highlighted programs that have been incredibly consistent, also including Arkansas, Boston College, Cal, Maryland, Michigan State, and UCLA.

ESPN noted two statistics to display Kentucky’s consistency under Mark Stoops. First, noting that since Stoops’ second year in Lexington, the Wildcats are 65-63 vs. FBS opponents. Also, from 2015 to 2023, the Wildcats were 31-29 in SEC play. However, a 1-7 record in the SEC last season does not help that case.

Following a disappointing 4-8 season from the Kentucky Football team a year ago, and playing a reversed schedule of that season that includes six opponents ranked in the preseason Top 18, most sportsbooks have the Wildcats’ win total at 4.5 on the season. If Kentucky can be an ‘even Steven’ and go 6-6, most would take that, and it would mean there would be some memorable upsets.

As the season nears, what are your expectations for the Wildcats? Who would you like to see Kentucky upset most this season?

Check out some key Wildcats talk about this upcoming season at Kentucky Football media day from earlier this month.