Is Kentucky overrated? You could make that case. True, Mark Stoops’ Wildcats are a perfect 4-0, but their rise up the national charts is based largely on that Sept. 10 win at Florida. The Gators have struggled since, squeaking out a home win over lowly South Florida before losing to Tennessee on the road.
So is Kentucky really a top-10 team? The AP poll says so, but that’s all for show. Starting on Saturday at Ole Miss — noon ET kickoff on ESPN — it’s game on as the Cats embark on a seven-game stretch through SEC minefields that will tell us plenty about what’s right and what’s wrong with the 2022 edition.
Historically, Kentucky hasn’t had much luck on its occasional trips to Oxford. In fact, the Cats have lost five straight at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium (its 2010 win was later vacated). UK’s last triumph there came all the way back in 1978 when Fran Curci’s Cats outlasted Steve Sloan’s Rebels 24-17. In fact, Kentucky hasn’t visited “The Grove” since 2010 when it lost 42-35. The Kentucky coach then? Joker Phillips. The Ole Miss coach? Houston Nutt.
