Predicting where Kentucky will finish in the SEC standings
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The media voted on their predicted order of finish for the SEC this season at SEC Media Days this week in Tampa, Florida. This season could go multiple ways with teams having various outcomes as you can see a path to success for a lot of teams, including the Kentucky Wildcats, who are predicted to finish 14th. Here is the way the media voted on the predicted order of finish and compare it to how I see it playing out. There are a couple teams I am higher on than the media is.
Media Predicted Order of Finish
- Georgia
- Texas
- Ole Miss
- Texas A&M
- LSU
- Alabama
- Oklahoma
- Tennessee
- Florida
- Missouri
- South Carolina
- Auburn
- Vanderbilt
- Kentucky
- Mississippi State
- Arkansas
The media is sleeping on Kentucky to a degree, having them at 14th in the conference. I think another notable team that is being slept on is Oklahoma. Texas A&M at four seems a bit high after losing both coordinators as well as some valuable players on both sides of the football. Outside of that, it is pretty chalky; in my opinion, teams 8 through 15 could all boom-or-bust.
My Predicted Order of Finish
- Texas
- Georgia
- Ole Miss
- Oklahoma
- LSU
- Alabama
- Texas A&M
- Florida
- Tennessee
- Kentucky
- Auburn
- Missouri
- South Carolina
- Vanderbilt
- Mississippi State
- Arkansas
I truly believe this is the year the Texas Longhorns make a deep playoff push. I think regardless of order, Texas and Georgia are the clear best two teams in the league. Pete Golding got a lot of fans at the podium, as the media and myself both believe the transition will be smooth for the Rebels. It is hard to imagine them not having a good season with quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and running back Kewan Lacy returning.
The two teams I differ the most from the media are Oklahoma and Kentucky. We know Brent Venables will field one of the best defenses in the conference for the Sooners, and the addition of Parker Livingstone could free up more single coverage looks for star wide receiver Isaiah Sategna. Kentucky has so much new and makes it very difficult to predict, but I truly believe the Wildcats have one of the best combinations of offensive line and defensive lines in the conference. If Kentucky can live up to expectations in the trenches, I think Will Stein and his staff can build a lot of momentum in year one.
We have an incredible SEC season on the horizon. The nine game conference schedule could really shake things up in a hurry. All these teams have talented players and a path to success. A lot of these teams also have a path where it does not go to plan, but only time will tell.
This article originally appeared on UK Wildcats Wire: Predicting where Kentucky will finish in the SEC standings
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