Kentucky football's schedule for Will Stein's first season already looked grueling enough. The Wildcats' 2026 slate was dubbed the fourth toughest in all of college football earlier this month. Now, with the release of the official preseason AP Poll, the proof is in the numbers. Kentucky will play seven teams ranked in the preseason top 25.
That's more than half of the Cats' entire schedule coming into the year fitted with a ranking. Expectedly, Kentucky isn't among that group - all eyes are on the future for Coach Stein in that regard. Stein and his overhauled staff will have no time to adjust heading into year one.
Then again, what else could be expected of SEC football? Alongside the Big Ten, college football simply doesn't get more difficult as far as conference play goes. For the best example of that phenomenon, just take a look back to Kentucky's experience last season.
Kentucky will play 7 teams in the Preseason top 25 https://t.co/O6RYLbQGqY
— Matt Jones (@KySportsRadio) August 17, 2026
On Mark Stoops' way out, the Wildcats nearly upset both No. 6 Ole Miss and No. 13 Texas at home, whilst also losing in a blowout to the eventual 4-8 South Carolina Gamecocks on the road, 35-13.
Anybody can beat everybody in the SEC. That works to both the benefit and detriment of a Kentucky team widely expected to finish toward the bottom of the league.
Kentucky benefits from the SEC's top-to-bottom prestige
With the No. 13 Alabama Crimson Tide coming to town as soon as the second week, Kentucky will get a chance to pitch an upset early on. The very next Saturday, Stein and his Cats will travel to Texas to take on the A&M Aggies, ranked No. 8.
From there and in order, Kentucky will host No. 11 LSU, visit No. 10 Oklahoma, play No. 20 Tennessee and No. 25 Missouri on the road, and then finally pack Kroger Field to face No. 24 Louisville at the end of the line. In basic terms, that's a gauntlet, though not one without opportunity.
With a few key matchups at home and the expectation that Stein and coordinator Joe Sloan will air things out on offense, the Wildcats have enough inflections this season to at least make things interesting. Get one big one, and who knows where this thing goes?
For now, it's not going anywhere. The Big Blue Nation will have to sit with this outlook until the Sep. 5, when football finally returns in the Bluegrass against Youngstown State. Let's take things game-by-game and hope that Stein and Kentucky come out swinging against the Penguins at Kroger Field.
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