To nobody's surprise, Will Stein and Kentucky have missed out on the first preseason AP Poll since his hiring. In spite of putting together a top 10 transfer portal class in his shortened offseason, Stein will officially enter the 2026 season as an underdog in Lexington.
This is made slightly more annoying that Louisville made college football's cut, sneaking in at No. 24. We'll let them have this one for the time. Zooming out, there are few surprises among the ranks, a ton of Kentucky opponents on deck (seven, to be exact), and room for the Wildcats to eventually climb in.
Above all else, this was an expected result. Kentucky hasn't held a preseason ranking since 2022, when the Cats entered the year at No. 20. Coach Stein can definitely put together an impressive run this season, but next year's group already appears primed to reset that dour bit of recent history.
BREAKING: Preseason College Football AP Poll🚨https://t.co/JL3USE6MnT pic.twitter.com/wImUOmUUg5
— On3 (@On3) August 17, 2026
Next year's Kentucky team could break the AP curse
Led by No. 2 overall quarterback Jake Nawrot and a recruiting class that is currently ranked No. 23 in the country by 247Sports, Stein has already begun raising the ceiling for Kentucky football as a program.
Whether or not the 2027 team ends up with an assigned number entering the year will in part come down to how effective the returners from this season end up being. Will Kenny Minchey develop into the star Kentucky wants him to be under center? Can weapons around him, such as freshman Kenny Darby, hit a new stride entering the following campaign?
We also have a few outstanding judgements to be made about this new staff. After all, Stein has never actually been a head coach before, despite what his confidence may lead you to believe. Assuming Stein pans out on the sideline, his second team in Lexington has a ton of potential on paper.
Stein's offense could make or break Kentucky
In the same vein, this year's team could deal some unexpected damage if Stein's offensive success translates from Oregon.
While Stein isn't calling the plays, leaving that responsibility to coordinator Joe Sloan, his fingerprints will be all over the unit helmed by the aforementioned Minchey. It's going to take a few breakout offensive performances to upset the likes of Alabama or LSU, if such a reality is even on the table.
Then again, with as brutal a schedule as Kentucky has this year, it will have to be for the Wildcats to make a legitimate splash. The Big Blue Nation could certainly settle for disrupting the SEC now as Stein works to build this program into a national competitor down the road.
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