The preseason coaches poll is out. Here is where voters slotted Kentucky football.

Jon Hale
·3 min read
2

The first major top 25 poll of the 2023 college football season is out, and Kentucky football finds itself among the “others receiving votes” category.

Mark Stoops’ team was not among the top 25 teams in the preseason USA Today Coaches Poll released Monday. The Wildcats did receive votes though, finishing with the seventh-most points among the teams that just missed the top 25.

Kentucky will face three teams ranked in the preseason coaches poll: No. 1 Georgia, No. 3 Alabama and No. 10 Tennessee. SEC opponents South Carolina, Florida, Mississippi State and Missouri were included in the “others receiving votes” category like Kentucky.

UK Coach Mark Stoops does have a vote in the coaches poll this season, but USA Today does not release individual coaches’ ballots until the final poll.

Not being included in the preseason top 25 is nothing new for Kentucky football, but it represents a step back from a year ago when the Wildcats were included in at least one major preseason poll for just the fifth time in program history. Kentucky opened the 2022 season ranked 20th in the Associated Press top 25 and 21st in the coaches poll.

Mark Stoops has coached two Kentucky football teams (2018 and 2021) that finished the season ranked in the top 25 despite not being ranked in the preseason poll.
Mark Stoops has coached two Kentucky football teams (2018 and 2021) that finished the season ranked in the top 25 despite not being ranked in the preseason poll.

Of course, the preseason ranking matters little compared to the postseason one.

Kentucky has been ranked in the final AP, coaches or UPI poll 11 times in program history but the last three times the Wildcats were ranked in the preseason poll (1957, 1978 and 2022) they finished the season unranked. Meanwhile, since the AP first released a preseason poll in 1950 Kentucky has been omitted from the preseason poll but ranked in the final poll seven times.

With a soft September schedule featuring games against Ball State, Eastern Kentucky, Akron and Vanderbilt, it may take some time for Kentucky to gain the respect of voters. The Wildcats will be favored to be undefeated when they host Florida on Sept. 30. If Kentucky can extend its winning streak versus the Gators to three games, it would travel to No. 1 Georgia with an unblemished record on Oct. 7.

Coaches’ top 25

The USA Today Sports AFCA Coaches Poll announced its 2023 preseason rankings Monday:

1. Georgia

2. Michigan

3. Alabama

4. Ohio State

5. LSU

6. Southern California

7. Penn State

8. Florida State

9. Clemson

10. Tennessee

11. Washington

12. Texas

13. Notre Dame

14. Utah

15. Oregon

16. Texas Christian

17. Kansas State

18. Oregon State

19. Oklahoma

20. North Carolina

21. Wisconsin

22. Mississippi

23. Tulane

24. Texas Tech

25. Texas A&M

Others receiving votes: Iowa 169; South Carolina 89; Florida 63; Texas-San Antonio 59; Pittsburgh 52; UCLA 42; Kentucky 34; Baylor 28; Troy 25; Arkansas 20; N.C. State 19; Fresno State 19; Boise State 18; Auburn 18; Minnesota 16; Miami 16; Mississippi State 13; Oklahoma State 12; Missouri 11; Maryland 10; Southern Methodist 8; South Alabama 8; Illinois 7; Wake Forest 6; Air Force 6; Toledo 5; Washington State 4; Houston 3; Duke 2; Brigham Young 2; Arizona 2; Memphis 1; Kansas 1; James Madison 1.

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