We may be early in the season, but the Kentucky Football program can put themselves in a great position to win the SEC East with a victory over Florida.
The Kentucky football program started off SEC play with a big victory over South Carolina. This placed them in 1st place in the SEC East, tied with only Florida at 1-0 in conference play. A win against the Florida Gators on Saturday could position the Wildcats very well in the SEC race.
Despite the fact that top 25 implications are in play for the game against Florida, so are SEC East race implications. The winner of the Kentucky and Florida game will be put in first place in the East, and will be given the driver’s seat for the remainder of their respective schedules.
It’s obviously a tough game for Kentucky football, not beating Florida since 1986. Although Kentucky is favored by a lot of experts in this game, the Cats know the challenge ahead. Let’s take a look at the rest of the SEC East opponents, and how Kentucky can really take the driver’s seat with a victory over Florida.
Missouri Tigers
Missouri has already lost to South Carolina, putting them at 0-1 in the conference. Even so, the Tigers aren’t a very good team this year. After getting pummeled by Purdue, 35-3, it’s hard to imagine Missouri beating conference opponents like Auburn, Kentucky, Georgia or Florida.
Vanderbilt Commodores
Despite a hot start by Vandy, their upcoming schedule does them no favors. This week, they take on Alabama. Next week, they travel to Gainesville to play Florida. After that, it’s Georgia. That very well could be three conference losses in a row.
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South Carolina Gamecocks
Kentucky put themselves in a great position after beating South Carolina on the road. It will be hard for the Gamecocks to get back in the SEC East race, especially with road games against Texas A&M, Georgia and Tennessee.
Tennessee Volunteers
After a heart-breaking loss to Florida, Tennessee sits at 0-1 in SEC play. It doesn’t get much easier for them, either. In the coming weeks, they take on Georgia and South Carolina in Knoxville, then Alabama and Kentucky on the road. The Vols will be lucky to come out of that stretch 2-2, which would give them 3 losses in the conference.
Georgia Bulldogs
Georgia is, by far, the favorite to win the SEC East. They have yet to play an SEC foe, though. They will get their first test this week at home against Mississippi State. Assuming they win that game, they still have tough road games against Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Auburn. They may be the most talented team in the East, but their schedule does them no favors.
Florida Gators
Florida sits atop the SEC East with the Kentucky Wildcats, at 1-0. Their showdown this Saturday will go very far in deciding the winner of the East. This will be a very important win for Kentucky, if they get it. Especially considering the Gators have most of their toughest games at home this season – Vandy, LSU, Texas A&M and Georgia (Jacksonville).
Next: Keys to Victory vs Florida
Not many people expected Kentucky to hold their own against South Carolina, but they proved everyone wrong. They hope to do so again against Florida on Saturday. This is almost a must win for the Cats if they want to win the East, considering they have Mississippi State, Vanderbilt and Georgia all on the road later this season.