Predicting the Kentucky Wildcats 2012 Football Season

Next week at this time, we will have a good indication as to how the Kentucky Wildcat season is going.  If Kentucky wins, Kentucky fans should expect a bowl game.  If they take the game into the fourth quarter and lose byu a touchdown or less, all hope is not gone and a bowl bid could still be an option.  If LOuisville blows Kentucky out, that could be the start of a long season.

But why wait a whole week?  Let me tell you how this football season is going to end.  Let’s pull out the crystal ball and do some prognosticating:

 

KENTUCKY @ #25 LOUISVILLE. 9/2

It sounds cliche, but this game will set the tone for the rest of the season. Louisville is the popular choice and has been established as a 14 point favorite. Seeing that this is the first game of the season and that Louisville is a very young team, I think the 14 point spread is a bit absurd. That said, Kentucky has it’s hands full and will need the defensive line to dominate Louisville’s offensive line and force Teddy Bridgewater to make some errors.   Kentucky seemingly has a lot of confidence as well coming into this game and as usual, this game will come down to rushing yardage. Even with Josh Clemons questionable, I like Kentucky’s chances to try to run the ball and try to control the game. Bottom line, is it’s a rivalry game and anything can happen: KENTUCKY 24 Louisville 21

KENT STATE @ KENTUCKY 9/8

The Golden Flashes finished last season with a 4-1 record and boast the best defense in the MAC. But this is a team that struggles on the road and especially against a BCS program. Kent State is 0-6 in Lexington, and have not beaten a BCS team since Iowa State and have gone 0-11 since then. Kent State is also 3-31-1 in road openers, so it would be a monumental upset to beat Kentucky. This is not a Kent State team you can overlook, but Kentucky just has more talent: KENTUCKY 31 Kent State 14

WESTERN KENTUCKY @ KENTUCKY 9/15

Last years season opener was perhaps one of the ugliest games of the year as Kentucky looked miserable in a 14-3 win. After starting 0-4, WKU went 7-1 down the stretch but did not make a bowl game. Expectations are high for WKU, but to be honest, they lost too much with Bobby Rainey and this team will struggle to move the ball versus Kentucky. Kawuan Jakes is kind of a poor man’s Teddy Bridgewater but he will not have the WR targets Bridgewater does. This game has been tabbed as an upset special and WKU is actually rated higher than UK in a few preseason publications, but I don’t see the ‘Toppers shocking the world: KENTUCKY 35 WKU 17