The Kentucky Wildcats have easily outperformed expectations through the first month of the 2026 college football season. With an almost impossible schedule early on, the Cats' lone loss has been to the top-ten Alabama Crimson Tide, a game in which they were on top at the half.
Kentucky is coming off a come-from-behind win over the South Carolina Gamecocks, who have one of the best running quarterbacks in the conference. The Cats were down 14-0 after the first and 20-10 at the half, but they started to figure things out and prevailed in overtime. Had you told fans before the game that LaNorris Sellers would have 226 passing yards, 147 rushing yards and two passing touchdowns, no one would've thought that Kentucky would come out on top, but it
was able to.
Now 4-1, the Cats will welcome the LSU Tigers, who are one of the top-15 teams in the country. The Tigers throttled McNeese State 63-14 in a primetime battle Saturday and dominated the Texas A&M Aggies 35-6 in the game prior. Their lone loss of the season was against the Ole Miss Rebels, a 32-24 road defeat for the Tigers.
That said, LSU will take the trip to Kentucky and has opened as a 9.5-point road favorite. At places like BetMGM Sportsbook, that spread has already increased to 10, with a total of 54.5.
LSU opens as 9.5 point favorite vs Kentucky
— Matt Jones (@KySportsRadio) October 4, 2026
The Cats have covered the spread in 3 straight games and are 2-1 against the spread (ATS) as an underdog this season. At home, they are 2-1 ATS as well. With a surging offense, one that has scored at least 30 points in every game, the Cats are 4-1 O/U.
Behind a dynamic offensive line, the Cats should be primed to cover as an underdog against at home in Week 6 Saturday.
This article originally appeared on UK Wildcats Wire: Kentucky Wildcats open as near double-digit home underdog vs. LSU
