College Football Rankings 2020: Projected preseason Top 25 sans Pac-12, Big Ten
By Zach Bigalke
20. Kentucky Wildcats
- Where they were ranked in the 2019 preseason: unranked (0 points)
- Where they were ranked at the end of 2019: T-36th (2 points)
- Where they were in our way-too-early Top 25: unranked
- Where they ranked in the preseason Coaches Poll: 29th (73 points)
Last year Kentucky overachieved in a big way, with converted receiver Lynn Bowden Jr. serving as the team’s starting quarterback for much of the season as injuries depleted the roster. What makes the Wildcats so intriguing heading into the 2020 season, though, is not what will happen with the offense now that Bowden is in the NFL but rather whether one of the top 25 most experienced returning defenses in the country can do against an all-SEC schedule.
After allowing fewer than 20 points per game on average in 2019, Kentucky returns 78 percent of its production on that side of the ball. A group that ranked 21st in the FBS in yards allowed and 14th in points conceded could make another big leap up the charts in the new season. Senior defensive tackle Quinton Bohanna has NFL size in the middle, and seven of the top nine tacklers from last season are back in Lexington this year.
A trip to Tuscaloosa was added to the schedule when the SEC expanded from an eight-game league schedule to 10 conference games. Ole Miss also comes to Kroger Field. Compared to a non-conference schedule that included Eastern Michigan, Kent State, Louisville, and FCS Eastern Illinois, reaching bowl eligibility became a bit trickier for the Wildcats.
Still, few SEC schools enter 2020 with as many advantages in terms of returning talent as does Mark Stoops’ team. Look for Kentucky to sneak in somewhere in the last five spots of the preseason AP Top 25.