Kentucky: Fifth Most Underrated Team Since 2014

[The-Hack]

This deserved a thread of its own, and was just mentioned in passing in another thread devoted to the “Most Overrated” teams.

Most Underrated NCAAF Teams Based on Preseason Rankings vs. Where They Finished


1
Northwestern Wildcats

2
Cincinnati Bearcats

3
TCU Horned Frogs

4
Missouri Tigers

5
Kentucky Wildcats

6
UCF Knights

7
Arizona Wildcats

7
Houston Cougars

7
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns

7
Oklahoma State Cowboys

11
Tulane Green Wave

12
Navy Midshipmen

12
West Virginia Mountaineers

14
Mississippi State Bulldogs

15
Kansas State Wildcats

16
Coastal Carolina

17
Minnesota Golden Gophers

17
Syracuse Orange

17
Wake Forest Demon Deacons

17
Western Michigan Broncos

21
Fresno State Bulldogs

21
Iowa Hawkeyes

21
Liberty Flames

24
Colorado Buffaloes

24
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

24
Indiana Hoosiers

24
Washington State Cougars

 

[vhcat70]

Given my druthers, I'd prefer being overrated like GA/OSU/AL.

 

[gojvc]

This deserved a thread of its own, and was just mentioned in passing in another thread devoted to the “Most Overrated” teams.

Most Underrated NCAAF Teams Based on Preseason Rankings vs. Where They Finished


1
Northwestern Wildcats

2
Cincinnati Bearcats

3
TCU Horned Frogs

4
Missouri Tigers

5
Kentucky Wildcats

6
UCF Knights

7
Arizona Wildcats

7
Houston Cougars

7
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns

7
Oklahoma State Cowboys

11
Tulane Green Wave

12
Navy Midshipmen

12
West Virginia Mountaineers

14
Mississippi State Bulldogs

15
Kansas State Wildcats

16
Coastal Carolina

17
Minnesota Golden Gophers

17
Syracuse Orange

17
Wake Forest Demon Deacons

17
Western Michigan Broncos

21
Fresno State Bulldogs

21
Iowa Hawkeyes

21
Liberty Flames

24
Colorado Buffaloes

24
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

24
Indiana Hoosiers

24
Washington State Cougars

How can you be as consistently awful as Indiana and still be underrated? 😂

 

[CrimsonCats]

How can you be as consistently awful as Indiana and still be underrated? 😂

As I mentioned in the other thread about this, the methodology of these rankings, which only measures spots lost or gained between preseason polls and final polls over the relevant time period, is pretty flawed. That one fluke year in 2020 where Michael Penix Jr. led them to finish 12th in the AP in a shortened season after starting out unranked is probably the only data point even considered for them since they aren’t the kind of team who usually features in preseason rankings. Since teams finishing significantly above their preseason ranking is fairly uncommon in college football, that one year at +14 must have been enough to crack the bottom of the “underrated” list.

For that matter, Cincinnati and TCU are probably at the top of the list mostly due to their 2020 and 2022 seasons respectively where they went from unranked to top 10 finishes more so than being underestimated on a consistent basis.

 

[UKSanders]

How can you be as consistently awful as Indiana and still be underrated? 😂

Because we could all have record-setting high jump improvement if the bar is set low enough beforehand 😉