Phil Steele Top 40

[The Public Enemy]

According to Phil Steele the Kentucky Schedule is much more manageable then in 2014...4 Top 25 Opponents and only 1 Top 10 Opponent in 2015.

Here it is courtesy of 247:

1. Ohio State
2. TCU
3. USC
4. Alabama
5. Baylor
6. Georgia
7. Stanford
8. Florida State
9. Michigan State
10. LSU
11. Oregon
12. Notre Dame
13. Wisconsin
14. Auburn
15. UCLA
16. Virginia Tech
17. Clemson
18. Oklahoma
19. Penn State
20. Ole Miss
21. Miami (FL)
22. Arkansas
23. Boise State
24. Missouri
25. Tennessee
26. Nebraska
27. Utah
28. Oklahoma State
29. Arizona State
30. Georgia Tech
31. Marshall
32. Texas A&M
33. Texas
34. Arizona
35. Toledo
36. Minnesota
37. Louisville
38. San Diego State
39. Mississippi State
40. Cincinnati

http://247sports.com/Article/Preseason-top-college-football-teams-ranked-by-Phil-Steele-37770929

 

[southindycat]

This is pretty consistent with my perception going into this summer. I hope he's right about everything except his placement of the Wildcats.

 

[LordEgg]

I could be wrong ( I'm no guru) but Tennessee could surprise a lot of folks.

 

[hmt5000]

like i said in the other thread... this year schedule is not near as brutal as last years if you look at preseason rankings.

and i agree. ut could be really good this year. will be interesting what they look like the first few weeks of the year.

 

[Grumpyolddawg]

like i said in the other thread... this year schedule is not near as brutal as last years if you look at preseason rankings.

and i agree. ut could be really good this year. will be interesting what they look like the first few weeks of the year.

I agree, UT will be much improved this year I am afraid. We have Bama and UT back to back, not the best of schedules. The West better watch out for Arkansas, Bama is probably the favorite, but Arky will beat Auburn and LSU.

 

[UKWinsAgainYep]

I could be wrong ( I'm no guru) but Tennessee could surprise a lot of folks.

I think UT wins the East.

 

[BengalWACO]

Well. I hope we can steal a few this year.

 

[CATFANFOLIFE87]

I can't help but laugh when I see Toledo, SDSU, Cinci, ect on lists like this. Preseason rankings are driven by the path of least resistance rule. UK gets knocked down because we play in the SEC. UL gets a little boost because the ACC has more built in wins

 

[Kooky Kats]

I could be wrong ( I'm no guru) but Tennessee could surprise a lot of folks.

Yep. I think they win the east as UGA will get Richt-rolled by a team they're favored over...like every year.

 

[C1180]

There is at least 7 teams in that top 40 that UK could either beat or scare the heck out of. Heck maybe even more. The are getting picked because they are likely to win a lot of games in their weak conferences. You know kind of like the team we play the last game this season built their reputation.

 

[BlueRaider22]

I could be wrong ( I'm no guru) but Tennessee could surprise a lot of folks.

I see them as 9-3 this yr. Maybe 10-2.....especially if they beat Oklahoma early.

 

[CatsFanGG24]

Not buying Tennessee yet...they will be good, but I am not sold they are division winners.

Their schedule was set up almost the exact opposite of ours...if we ended the season 5-1 instead of starting it that way, you'd see a little more hype for us. They have had great classes recently though.

 

[TBCat]

Not buying Tennessee yet...they will be good, but I am not sold they are division winners.

There schedule was set up almost the exact opposite of ours...if we ended the season 5-1 instead of starting it that way, you'd see a little more hype for us. They have had great classes recently though.

I'm with you. UT is clearly improved but they still have a country mile to go before I start ranking them with the big boys of the SEC. Winning the east is doable however. The only stacked roster in the east is Georgia and they have a tendency to throw a couple games every year for unknown reasons.

 

[C1180]

UT is a lot like UK. It has a lot of young talent. A lot for both will depend on how that young talent gels

 

[JHB4UK]

Well. I hope we can steal a few this year.

won't be much thievery for UK to post 7 wins IMO. Probably will only be the dog in one of the 7 I think we win (@USC). We should be the fav against ULL, EKU, Vandy, Charlotte, UL. By the time they kick off we could/should be favored against UF.

 

[trueblujr2]

With all that louisville lost, their entire secondary, almost their entire receiving core, some key offensive linemen, etc., etc. why are they getting so much love? Granted #37 is far from superior, but if they are in that range, then we shouldn't be very far at all past that #40 line ourselves. Certainly our talent level is getting close to approaching or surpassing theirs.

 

[southindycat]

won't be much thievery for UK to post 7 wins IMO. Probably will only be the dog in one of the 7 I think we win (@USC). We should be the fav against ULL, EKU, Vandy, Charlotte, UL. By the time they kick off we could/should be favored against UF.

This seems like a reasonable view of things. However, I am not going to get too committed to any prediction of final record until I see this team play. I still think I might be surprised, pleasantly, or unpleasantly.

 

[Gary4UK]

Just like

With all that louisville lost, their entire secondary, almost their entire receiving core, some key offensive linemen, etc., etc. why are they getting so much love? Granted #37 is far from superior, but if they are in that range, then we shouldn't be very far at all past that #40 line ourselves. Certainly our talent level is getting close to approaching or surpassing theirs.

Just like CATFANFOLIFE87 said, they're in the path of least resistance.... Steel doesn't pick the best teams, he picks the teams that he thinks won't lose as many games..... A big difference.... Do you actually see some of those top 40 teams beating some of the teams that aren't ranked in the SEC? UL plays a girls schedule......

 

[The Public Enemy]

Waiting on the release of his Power Rankings....that is his system on the actual Teams

 

[WildCard]

With all that louisville lost, their entire secondary, almost their entire receiving core, some key offensive linemen, etc., etc. why are they getting so much love? Granted #37 is far from superior, but if they are in that range, then we shouldn't be very far at all past that #40 line ourselves. Certainly our talent level is getting close to approaching or surpassing theirs.

Addressed this point early in another thread (I don't understand the logic...). The Cards are getting "some love" from the writer types based on what they have accomplished over the past 15 years (e.g., 7 Top 25 AP finishes, 129-60 overall, 2 BCS bowl wins, etc.). Now that is modest success when contrasted against GA, AL, LSU, et. al. but it is not too shabby when compared to the "non-elites". But it is enough recent success that UofL worked their way into several of the "way to early Top 25" opinion based lists. FWIW, the Cards are filling some of those holes (especially on defense) with some fairly highly touted transfers. IMO, I think the Cards will be similar to last year, i.e., pretty good defensively but challenged offensively (same reason, O-line). But whether they can muster 9 wins again is a totally different subject.

As for Steele, he is a numbers guy, not an opinion guy. Or perhaps it is more correct to say his opinions are based on his numbers. His numbers say #37 for the Cards (yes, far from "superior"). We will have to wait another week or two to see how he ranks the Cats but I don't think they will be too far behind. I'll be very interested in seeing his "most improved" list.

Peace

 

[jauk11]

Addressed this point early in another thread (I don't understand the logic...). The Cards are getting "some love" from the writer types based on what they have accomplished over the past 15 years (e.g., 7 Top 25 AP finishes, 129-60 overall, 2 BCS bowl wins, etc.). Now that is modest success when contrasted against GA, AL, LSU, et. al. but it is not too shabby when compared to the "non-elites". But it is enough recent success that UofL worked their way into several of the "way to early Top 25" opinion based lists. FWIW, the Cards are filling some of those holes (especially on defense) with some fairly highly touted transfers. IMO, I think the Cards will be similar to last year, i.e., pretty good defensively but challenged offensively (same reason, O-line). But whether they can muster 9 wins again is a totally different subject.

As for Steele, he is a numbers guy, not an opinion guy. Or perhaps it is more correct to say his opinions are based on his numbers. His numbers say #37 for the Cards (yes, far from "superior"). We will have to wait another week or two to see how he ranks the Cats but I don't think they will be too far behind. I'll be very interested in seeing his "most improved" list.

Peace

Why, I don't think UL will be on anyone's "most improved" list.

And yes, I am among the few that believe that you really are a UK fan, even if not first on your list.

 

[Caveman Catfan]

I love how Stoops is recruiting and building a football team in the conference that is the envy of other conferences. Enjoying this ride and excited about where we are going.

 

[WildCard]

Why, I don't think UL will be on anyone's "most improved" list.

And yes, I am among the few that believe that you really are a UK fan, even if not first on your list.

Not that it matters, Steele had UofL #25 preseason last year and #37 this year, That's not improving. I think you know what team I was talking about!

He's certainly not perfect and more accurate some years than others but many of his pre-season projections are eerily on target.

Peace

 

[jnewc2]

According to Phil Steele the Kentucky Schedule is much more manageable then in 2014...4 Top 25 Opponents and only 1 Top 10 Opponent in 2015.

Here it is courtesy of 247:

1. Ohio State
2. TCU
3. USC
4. Alabama
5. Baylor
6. Georgia
7. Stanford
8. Florida State
9. Michigan State
10. LSU
11. Oregon
12. Notre Dame
13. Wisconsin
14. Auburn
15. UCLA
16. Virginia Tech
17. Clemson
18. Oklahoma
19. Penn State
20. Ole Miss
21. Miami (FL)
22. Arkansas
23. Boise State
24. Missouri
25. Tennessee
26. Nebraska
27. Utah
28. Oklahoma State
29. Arizona State
30. Georgia Tech
31. Marshall
32. Texas A&M
33. Texas
34. Arizona
35. Toledo
36. Minnesota
37. Louisville
38. San Diego State
39. Mississippi State
40. Cincinnati

http://247sports.com/Article/Preseason-top-college-football-teams-ranked-by-Phil-Steele-37770929

It's always a toss-up when it comes to the strength of an SEC schedule from year to year..there will be some teams in the top-25 (or top-10) that you didn't expect & vice-versa.

But I think our SOS this year depends on what metric you're using to measure it. I read an article on SDS a couple of weeks ago saying that based on opponents win % last year, we had the toughest schedule in the SEC this year.

 

[How Blue Can You Get?]

I'm always amazed when our fans wonder why we are not ranked higher, or are not getting more national respect. Phil Steele is not a UK fan. He doesn't make his rankings based on best case scenarios for the Cats. It's his job to assess things realistically and from a non-biased perspective...and People don't rank teams based on talent that has yet to perform. They rank teams by starting based on what they've done lately, and then consider possible new talent contributions. The fact is, the Cats have not been bowling for a WHIIILLEEE! Win 7 this year, and people's opinions about us will start to shift, but prognosticators always take the safe bet, and the safe bet is to have low expectations for UK until UK proves those expectations wrong. For the record, I think Stoops will do just that this year, but we would all be fools to expect it.