Kentucky receiving votes in Week 6 Coaches Poll following Ole Miss win
Kentucky's 20-17 upset win over Ole Miss has the Wildcats on the rise in at least one national poll.
On Sunday, the US LBM Coaches Poll released its Week 6 update. After not receiving any votes in the Week 5 update, Kentucky now checks in with 17 points as a result of the big victory over Lane Kiffin's team, good enough for 33rd in the country. Meanwhile, Ole Miss went from No. 5 to No. 11 following the loss at home.
Later this afternoon, the AP Poll will unveil its uprated Week 6 rankings. While it's unlikely Kentucky will crack the Top 25, expect them to receive plenty of votes in this poll as well. The Wildcats' in-state rival, Louisville, fell five spots to No. 22 after losing to Notre Dame on Saturday.
- Texas (+1)
- Alabama (+2)
- Ohio State
- Tennessee (+2)
- Georgia (-4)
- Oregon (+1)
- Penn State (+1)
- Miami (+1)
- Missouri (+2)
- Michigan (+2)
- Ole Miss (-6)
- LSU (+1)
- Notre Dame (+1)
- Clemson (+1)
- Southern California (+1)
- Iowa State (+3)
- Oklahoma (+1)
- Utah (-8)
- BYU (+3)
- Kansas State (+5)
- Texas A&M (+3)
- Louisville (-5)
- Indiana (+3)
- Illinois (-4)
Schools Dropped Out: No. 20 Oklahoma State
Others Receiving Votes: Boise State 103; Pittsburgh 51; Arizona 44; Rutgers 35; Iowa 29; James Madison 25; Duke 22; Kentucky 17; Oklahoma State 15; SMU 14; Nebraska 12; Navy 9; Colorado 9; Boston College 6; Army West Point 3; UCF 2; Liberty 2; Tulane 1; South Carolina 1
The Coaches Poll isn't the only platform showing Kentucky some love either. ESPN's Football Power Index (FPI) bumped up the Wildcats 15 spots to No. 23 overall, projecting a 6.5-5.5 overall win/loss record. Kentucky now has an 83 percent chance to reach the six-win threshold, a significant jump from this time just two weeks ago. UK also has a 2.6 percent chance to make the College Football Playoff according to the FPI.
Sticking with ESPN, Bill Connelley's SP+ numbers (which is "a tempo- and opponent-adjusted measure of college football efficiency" that is "intended to be predictive and forward-facing") have Kentucky at 24th overall in the country with the nation's 48th-best offense, 17th-best defense, and 10th-best special teams unit.
As for Ole Miss, the FPI kept the Rebels at 6th while the SP+ numbers have them at 4th. Kentucky's next opponent, Vanderbilt at home on Oct. 12, checks in at 57th in the FPI and 69th in SP+.