Will Stein has been pretty successful everywhere he has been. He won 3 state titles as a high school player at Trinity. He worked his way to starting for Louisville football. As a coach, he was on the staff of Louisville when they went 12-1 in 2013. He helped UTSA to a top-10 offensive output and kept the train rolling in Eugene. When asked why he thinks Kentucky can be successful, he said it was because of him.
There are definitely challenges coaching Kentucky football. You are playing in one of the two best conferences in college football, the SEC. And that means playing one of the toughest schedules nearly every year. Case in point, Kentucky has the 4th-hardest schedule according to ESPN's statistics.
In addition to the schedule, there is the money. The school spends a ton of money on basketball, and under Mitch Barnhart liked to spread the money around even more to the Olympic sports. That's why Kenny Brooks was able to quickly turn Kentucky women's basketball from losing seasons to Sweet 16s.
But can Will Stein do the same? ESPN's FPI doesn't think so.
-Sept 5: Youngstown State Penguins 95.0% chance to win (45-13 Win)
-Sept 12: Alabama Crimson Tide 17.5% chance to win
-Sept 19: Texas A&M Aggies 10.5% chance to win
-Sept 26: South Alabama Jaguars 90.6% chance to win
-Oct 3: South Carolina Gamecocks 25.5% chance to win
-Oct 10: LSU Tigers 18.5% chance to win
-Oct 17: Oklahoma Sooners 13.7% chance to win
-Oct 24: Vanderbilt Commodores 45.0% chance to win
-Nov 7: Tennessee Volunteers 19.2% chance to win
-Nov 14: Florida Gators 32.9% chance to win
-Nov 21: Missouri Tigers 24.6% chance to win
-Nov 28: Louisville Cardinals 43.2% chance to win
That means Kentucky is favored in just two games. That is absolutely brutal. If Kentucky wins fewer than four games this year, all that money paid to make Mark Stoops go away will look like a bad decision.
But I just don't think that happens. Here is how I see Kentucky's schedule playing out:
Predicting Kentucky football's schedule
-Sept 5: Youngstown State Penguins W (45-13)
-Sept 12: Alabama Crimson Tide W
-Sept 19: Texas A&M Aggies L
-Sept 26: South Alabama Jaguars W
-Oct 3: South Carolina Gamecocks W
-Oct 10: LSU Tigers L
-Oct 17: Oklahoma Sooners L
-Oct 24: Vanderbilt Commodores W
-Nov 7: Tennessee Volunteers W
-Nov 14: Florida Gators W
-Nov 21: Missouri Tigers W
-Nov 28: Louisville Cardinals W
Nothing I saw on Saturday changed my mind. The offense was efficient and balanced, passing for 301 yards, and rushing for 205. The defense does have some things to clean up, but anytime you beat a team by 32, there's not a lot to complain about.
I can't wait for Kentucky to prove ESPN wrong.
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