It's not often people pick Kentucky to beat Alabama, and even less often when it's someone as noteable as Kirk Herbstreit. The longtime ESPN College GameDay analyst seems to think Bama is ripe for an upset.
Alabama is coming to town, and if you have been in Lexington this past week, you know what a big game is happening today at Kroger Field. Will Stein asked fans to sneak in flasks so they could be in their seats and yell obscenities at Alabama players during warm-ups. Kentucky's AD J Batt said the University heard the complaints about the speakers and will do its best to get it right.
Just this morning, Will Stein climbed onto a chair and led Kentucky fans in a C-A-T-S chant. All the signs are pointing to a new era in Kentucky football. And Kirk Herbstreit is standing alone in saying that it starts today.
Not an era where the Cats hope to stay in the game and sneak a late win, but one where the Cats are the hunters seeking to end the game early.
All that collides in Kroger Field at 3:30 PM on ABC, and the fans are doing their part. The tailgating scene was as electric as I've seen in a long time, and that's with the threat of more rain all day long.
If you have been a Kentucky fan for a minute, this will all sound familiar. Mark Stoops got Kentucky to an echelon they had not been. Kroger Field was rocking before the 10-game SEC losing streak started. So, it feels good to see the big game atmosphere here in Lexington again.
Kirk Herbstreit sees it too, and he likes what he sees.
All but 1 College Gameday host picks Alabama
When the College Gameday crew got to the point of the show where they pick who wins, Alabama was about to pull off a clean sweep. But Kirk Herbstreit looked at the camera and explained that the rest of the crew would pick Kentucky if they had the stones to do it.
Kirk Herbstreit picking Kentucky to upset Bama today pic.twitter.com/FdwLvd4JSB
— Michelle Knezovic (@MichelleKnezov) September 12, 2026
“These guys don’t have the stones to pull the trigger,” he said, choosing the ‘Cats.
What makes Kirk so confident is what gives Kentucky a real chance in this game. Herbstreit pointed to last year's Alabama team quitting in the Rose Bowl. That was an ugly disaster for the Tide, who saw a 38-3 beatdown happen, and the game wasn't even as close as the score indicated.
But it's not just the trend of losses under Kalen DeBoer, especially the Vanderbilt loss, that should give BBN faith.
The injury bug hit Alabama, forcing the Tide to be without the only offensive lineman who started last year, Michael Carroll. That's important because Alabama picked Keelon Russell to lead its offense this year, and he has never started an SEC road game.
That's why Will Stein's words and actions really matter here. The fans heard the coach plead for an electric atmosphere and by all indications he is going to get it. He has a national analyst standing alone in picking Kentucky.
Now, he has to do the hard part, the part that proved too difficult for Stoops. In his tenure as head coach, Mark was 0-4 against Alabama and 0-13 against Georgia. Stein won't get his shot at Smart this year unless both teams get to the SEC Championship. But today is the day he can turn it against the Tide.
He has to prove he can get it done, and we will find out soon if he can.
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