Kentucky Football: Way-Too-Early Game-by-Game Predictions
By Kathryn Rose
November starts off with a trip to Missouri to face the Tigers. Kentucky won this contest 35-28 a year ago, and while Missouri has some young guys with promise, they’ve lost star running back Tyler Badie, and also seem to not have an answer at quarterback just yet. Missouri also had significant defensive issues last year and it’s unlikely that defensive coordinator Steve Wilks is going to see that massive improvement they’ll need in a single year. The ‘Cats win this one, and it’s probably comfortable.
Final Score: Kentucky 31, Missouri 20 (Kentucky improves to 7-2, 4-2 in conference play)
It’s then time for Vanderbilt, and it’s going to be by far the easiest conference game on the slate. Clark Lea’s first year as Commodores head coach saw a nightmarish 2-10 mark that included a loss to FCS East Tennessee State and total drubbings by almost all SEC opponents, with the “highlight” being a 21-20 loss to South Carolina. Last year’s contest between these two teams was a 34-17 Kentucky win in Nashville, and it’s going to be like that this year too.
Final Score: Kentucky 38, Vanderbilt 16 (Kentucky improves to 8-2, 5-2 in conference play)