The good news for Kentucky is that recruiting is getting better. The bad news for the Wildcats is that recruiting completely fell off the map before current coach Mark Stoops took over the program two years ago. How will Kentucky be able to make the journey back to a place where it is respected in college football and the SEC? The short answer is that it’s going to be a long road. The longer answer is that a lot of different pieces have to come together in order for the Wildcats to pick themselves off the floor and threaten to make a bowl game, their next really big goal as a program.
Strengths
The Wildcats were fairly strong in stopping the run or, at the very least, containing it last season. Against good offenses such as Louisville’s, the Wildcats were able to come up with third and short stops, at least often enough to notice. Kentucky wasn’t always fast enough to slow down good offenses, but the Wildcats were not thrown around like rag dolls. This defense competed and generally didn’t back down from a fight. It was in the areas of speed and perimeter skill that other teams were able to outclass Kentucky. In terms of the interior of the defensive line, last season’s Wildcats were actually okay. If interior line play can still be good this season, Kentucky can hope that the rest of the team, or at least other parts of the team, will be able to get more things accomplished. It’s not as though Kentucky’s run-stuffing and defensive line play existed at an elite level last season, but compared to the rest of the 2013 Wildcats, it stood out as something that was better than anything else the team attempted to do.
Weaknesses
The weaknesses on this team are manifold. There’s no one place to look. The offense was a total disaster last season. It was the most impotent group in the SEC, making other teams such as Vanderbilt, Tennessee, and Florida all look good. Kentucky had no quarterback to get the ball to receivers on time. The receivers couldn’t stretch the field often enough or get open enough to give quarterbacks enticing targets. There was no breakaway running back to provide instant offense. The offensive line wasn’t up to the task of blocking at a high level. Kentucky needs help from all these areas of the roster and more in the coming season. There was just nothing for Stoops and his staff in terms of resources this past season.
Schedule
The Wildcats aren’t very good, so just about any SEC game they play will be tough to win. Hosting Vanderbilt will be their best chance to win an SEC game. No other FBS game is a likely win. Ohio is a possible win, but not probable. Louisiana-Monroe is also in that same category.
Outlook
The Wildcats play in such an unforgiving conference that even if they snag a few wins outside the SEC, where are they going to find wins in the conference? Maybe Vanderbilt could be a possible opportunity this season, but there’s really nothing other than that. Go with the under in this situation.
Pick: Under 3.5 at +145
