UK Ranked 40th - Initial 2025 ESPN SP+ Rankings

[YaketySax]

Way too early rankings from Bill Connelly at ESPN.

• Kentucky is 40th overall.
• 6.4 rating (0.0 is considered perfectly average team). UofL is 12.4 so this also means on a neutral site UofL would be a six point favorite vs UK.
• Kentucky has the 73rd offense, 25th defense, and 14th ST.

Opponent comparison:

• Georgie 4th (24.5)
• Texas 7th (21.9)
• UT 8th (21.2)
• Ole Miss 9th (20.2)
• South Carolina 16th (15.4)
• Florida 17th (14.4)
• South Carolina 16th (15.4)
• Auburn 23rd (12.1)
• Vanderbilt 54th (1.8)
• ...Toledo is 75th and E. Michigan is 110th.

A cut and paste of the description of SP+ below.

I base SP+ projections on three primary factors, weighted by their predictiveness:

1. Returning production. The returning production numbers are based on rosters I have updated as much as possible to account for transfers and attrition.
2. Recent recruiting. This piece informs us of the caliber of a team's potential replacements (and/or new stars) in the lineup.
3. Recent history. Using a chunk of information from previous seasons gives us a good measure of overall program health.
I will update these numbers in May and August after there have been further transfers and roster changes, and my annual preview series will begin after the May numbers are posted. A reminder on SP+: It's a tempo- and opponent-adjusted measure of college football efficiency. It is a predictive measure of the most sustainable and predictable aspects of football, not a résumé ranking.

 

[Cat_Man_Blue]

Based on this, UK will onlybe favored in 3 games. This can change after the spring portal,

 

[catben]

Based on this, UK will onlybe favored in 3 games. This can change after the spring portal,

And will be playing 8 teams in the top 25!!! And 4 in the top 10!!!!

What a CRAZY HARD schedule!!!! In the 50 years I've followed UK Football, this has to be the TOUGHEST schedule I can EVER remember!!!