Experts Say Cats Will Face a Difficult Task in 2024

With less than two months until the start of the new college football season, pundits and analysts are releasing their predictions for the 2024 campaign — and Kentucky’s quest for Southeastern Conference contention is expected to remain an uphill battle.

With the addition of Oklahoma and Texas to what was already considered the most competitive league in the country, the 16-team SEC is now tougher than ever, and the college football world isn’t expecting UK to reach the league’s upper echelon .

According to Athlon Sports, the Wildcats will struggle to finish 12th in the SEC – ahead of only South Carolina, Arkansas, Mississippi State and Vanderbilt.

Kentucky’s defense will benefit from the return of nine starters, headlined by All-SEC offensive lineman Deone Walker, but the Cats’ offensive success will depend on the contributions of transfers like quarterback Brock Vandagriff and running back Chip Trayanum, as well as how the unit suits first-year coordinator Bush Hamdan.

“Two newcomers to Lexington will decide how high the offense can go in ’24,” wrote Athlon’s Steven Lassan. “New player Bush Hamdan arrives after directing Boise State’s offense to an average of 32.1 points per game last season and is tasked with helping Georgia transfer QB Brock Vandagriff develop in ’24. Vandagriff’s progression is crucial to Kentucky ’24’s hopes, as the former Bulldog has limited experience but brings significant upside to the offense.

Meanwhile, betting oddsmakers have set Kentucky’s over/under win total at 6.5 games.

It’s not surprising considering the Cats are coming off 7-6 seasons in a row and still face a lot of uncertainty. It’s also not an unfamiliar expectation for UK, which is not predicted to finish with more than 7.5 wins in coach Mark Stoops’ 12-year tenure.

The good news for Cats fans is that Kentucky has met or exceeded expectations in 10 of those 12 seasons and could very well do so again in 2024 — especially with home games against Southern Miss, South Carolina, Ohio State, Vanderbilt, Murray State and Louisville in playing. The Cats will also face a slate that includes home matchups against national powers Georgia and Auburn, as well as road games at Ole Miss, Florida, Tennessee and Texas.

However, the bad news is that with the ultimate goal of competing for an SEC championship and earning a spot in the College Football Playoff in mind, UK faces nearly insurmountable odds. According to betkentucky. withonly one of the 56 teams predicted to finish with 6.5 wins over the last decade made it to the CFP.

Even with rumors that Stoops considered leaving for Texas A&M in the off-season, Kentucky remains one of the most stable programs in the SEC. The Cats have qualified for eight consecutive bowl games, and Stoops is now the league’s longest-tenured coach following Nick Saban’s retirement.

“After Texas A&M’s flirtation with Stoops, many of us think he will probably end up retiring from Kentucky in a few years,” an anonymous SEC coach told Athlon. “He will leave the game at a smart age, just like his brother [Bob] he did. Before that, they will have to redo the attack again. It’s remarkable in this league how often they lose offensive coordinators and the program doesn’t collapse.”

However, Kentucky’s climb up the SEC ladder could be more difficult than ever.