Where reporters predict Kentucky football will finish in 2023 SEC football standings
A year after landing its highest-ever selection in the preseason SEC media poll, Kentucky football will find itself in a more familiar position entering the 2023 season.
Reporters at SEC Media Days in Nashville picked the Wildcats to finish fourth in the SEC East in the final season of the two-division format for the league. Reporters voted two-time defending national champion Georgia as the favorite to win the SEC. Tennessee and South Carolina were also slotted ahead of Kentucky in the SEC East predictions with Florida, Missouri and Vanderbilt behind the Wildcats. Kentucky did receive one first-place vote in the East poll.
That prediction is more in line with the first six years of the Stoops era when the Wildcats were predicted to finish between fourth and seventh in each preseason poll. Reporters picked Kentucky to finish third in the SEC East in 2021 and second in 2022.
“That’s not anything I can really control, whether it’s above the radar or under the radar or any of that,” Stoops said this week when asked if his team might benefit from less preseason attention than it had a year ago. “That’s the narrative that you all can write or do.”
Despite being picked to finish behind only Georgia last season and being ranked in the preseason Associated Press top 25 for just the fifth time in program history, Kentucky struggled for much of 2022.
The Wildcats extended their consecutive bowl streak to seven seasons but finished the year 7-6. Kentucky lost home games to SEC East rivals South Carolina and Vanderbilt and were embarrassed in a 44-6 blowout loss at Tennessee.
“When things are going good, we played good,” Stoops said. “And the minute we hit some adversity, I didn’t like the way we responded to that. That can’t happen and quite honestly hasn’t happened a lot under my watch, and I wasn’t very proud of that. I need to do some things different and make sure we’re prepared and just handle any and all situations the right way.”
The good news for Kentucky is in six of Stoops’ 10 years as coach the Wildcats have finished higher in the East than reporters predicted in the preseason poll. That feat was not as hard to accomplish when reporters predicted Kentucky to finish sixth or worse in Stoops’ first three seasons as coach, but Kentucky bested the 2021 third-place prediction by finishing second too.
If Kentucky needed more motivation from outside doubts, the media’s preseason All-SEC team could provide some as well.
No Kentucky player was voted to the preseason All-SEC first team despite sophomore defensive lineman Deone Walker being a second-team All-SEC selection as a freshman and all of the 2022 first-team defensive linemen now in the NFL. Walker was named to the preseason All-SEC second team along with sophomore wide receiver Barion Brown, who made the squad as a kickoff return specialist. Offensive lineman Eli Cox and linebacker J.J. Weaver were named to the preseason All-SEC third team.
“I think we’re close,” Cox said this week. “I think this football team has a lot of talent that’s flying under the radar. I think we have a lot of tools.
“Our defense, everyone knows how consistent they are. Coach (Brad) White is one of the best defensive coordinators in the country, the SEC. That unit always produces. I think our offense is going to hold up its end of the bargain this year and score a lot of points.”
UK in the preseason poll
Where reporters have predicted Kentucky to finish in the SEC East during the Mark Stoops era (with actual finish in parentheses):
2023: Fourth
2022: Second (4th)
2021: Third (2nd)
2020: Fourth (4th)
2019: Sixth (5th)
2018: Fifth (2nd)
2017: Fifth (3rd)
2016: Fourth (4th)
2015: Sixth (5th)
2014: Seventh (6th)
2013: Seventh (7th)
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