It was an incredible day to be a Kentucky Wildcats fan.
In any other year, Big Blue Nation would have one thing and one thing only on its mind: The start of college basketball season.
But thanks to Will Stein, fans got to watch history unfold on Tuesday night.
The first College Football Playoff rankings of the season were released, and they left the Cats in unprecedented territory.
We all knew it was coming, but actually seeing that beautiful UK logo light up the screen during ESPN’s rankings show made
it real: The sky is the limit.
Kentucky checked in at No. 6, its highest ranking in program history.
As unlikely as it may be, if nothing changes by the time the final rankings are released on the first Sunday in December, UK would be slated to host #11 Notre Dame in the first round in what would be dubbed the Kenny Minhey Bowl, as the former Fighting Irish quarterback is now leading the way for the Wildcats.
Now it’s time to really have some fun.
Can you imagine hosting a College Football Playoff game in Lexington?
That’s certainly the plan if the pieces stay in place. The city would surely show out and lean into the pageantry and passion that would come with hosting a football game of that magnitude.
Spending time projecting who the Cats may face, assuming they can navigate four challenging games to close out the season, is no longer futile. The full picture will change week to week, but Kentucky controls much of its own destiny with four tough but winnable games remaining on its schedule.
- Right after the reveal, Fan Duel’s odds listed Kentucky’s odds of winning the CFP Championship at +5500.
- While their chances to win the SEC Conference Championship game were just +1200.
- If you’re really feeling froggy, Kenny Minchey is a whopping +22500 to win the Heisman Trophy.
There will be a total of six College Football rankings released before the final slots are locked in on December 3rd. Here’s the schedule for the CFP top 25 announcements. All times are ET, and announcements will be made on ESPN.
- 7-8 p.m. ET | Tuesday, Nov. 3 (Kentucky No. 6)
- 9-9:30 p.m. ET | Tuesday, Nov. 10
- 9-9:30 p.m. ET | Tuesday, Nov. 17
- 7:30-8 p.m. ET | Tuesday, Nov. 24
- 7-7:30 p.m. ET | Tuesday, Dec. 1
- Noon-3 p.m. ET | Sunday, Dec. 6
This was the 11th time UK has been named in the CFP Top 25 and the first appearance since 2022. This moment feels wonderful, but now all focus moves to UK’s showdown in Knoxville with #13 Tennessee on Saturday.
