Kentucky slides down ESPN FPI Rankings: Second lowest SEC School

The Kentucky Wildcats are in free fall both in the standings and the ESPN FPI Rankings. They lost another game to the Auburn Tigers on Saturday, 24-10, which became their third loss in a row. They now, no matter what, won't have an SEC win at home this season. It's a season full of disappointment, and the ESPN FPI Rankings showcase this well.

Quick refresher: if you don't know what the ESPN FPI poll is, here is how ESPN describes it, "The Football Power Index (FPI) is a measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of a team's performance going forward for the rest of the season. FPI represents how many points above or below average a team is. Projected results are based on 20,000 simulations of the rest of the season using FPI, results to date, and the remaining schedule."

At one point this season, the Wildcats were inside the top 25 for the FPI rankings, but they have plummeted to a slightly better-than-mediocre point. They are currently 4.7 in these rankings, which means they are about five points better than the average team. It feels like it's worse than that, and maybe it is. Kentucky is the second-lowest SEC team in these rankings. Only Mississippi State is lower than them at -0.9, slightly worse than the average college team.

Kentucky has been propped up by their win against Ole Miss and playing in the SEC. With all their losses coming against teams higher on these rankings, it distorts it to keep them at a higher point. To prove this reality, there is a team that is in the AP Top 25 that is behind them at 4.5, the Washington State Cougars. Their opponents have been less impressive, so their score reflects that.

Kentucky will be looking for a win in a tough place this weekend and against their rival in the Tennessee Volunteers. Right now, Tennessee is the heavy favorites at around 15 points. Kentucky has been known to show up in big games, can they do it in this one?