The Texas Longhorns are a top-10 team playing another SEC team, Kentucky, at home. This Kentucky team already has one top-10 win on its resume. They beat Ole Miss in the Rebels' first SEC game of the year. However, College GameDay decided not to even include them in their picks, a lack of respect for the Kentucky Wildcats, who are looking to pull off a big upset.
You could even argue that it's a lack of respect for the Texas Longhorns. Playing up this game as a tough part of their schedule is necessary for the Longhorns, especially when all the arguments right now are about who has the strongest strength of schedule (SOS) in the College Football Playoffs. Kentucky being on the schedule does help. They are a bad SEC team but an above-average college football team with an ESPN FPI score of 5.6.
It also is a nationally televised game for Texas on the ESPN family with an ABC broadcast at 3:30 p.m. EST. They get a great spot and a very well-watched spot for Saturday football, so it's a bit baffling why they weren't included in the picks—even if it went to a clean sweep for Texas.
The Texas Longhorns are -18.5 favorites over Kentucky in today's game.
This will be the second time in history that Kentucky and Texas have played each other, and Kentucky has never played further west than Austin, Texas. It should be a good game, even if the odds are not in Kentucky's favor. Mark Stoops is playing to get off the hot seat and the future, while coach Steve Sarkisian is playing for a top spot in the College Football Playoffs and even his first SEC title as a new member.
Kentucky has played up to their top-10 opponents twice this year. Hanging tough with Georgia, ultimately losing 13-12 and pulling off the huge upset of Ole Miss 20-17. They should be able to play the Longhorns tough today and maybe hang around for another upset, even if Big Blue Nation has given up hope for this season.