A bold prediction on the national stage
As the college football world turned its eyes to the Week 2 slate on ESPN’s College GameDay, the Kentucky Wildcats received a surprising and high-profile vote of confidence. While experts and analysts have largely favored Ole Miss, Atlanta Hawks superstar Trae Young went against the rest of the prediction world, picking Kentucky to upset the Rebels at Kroger Field.
Young, serving as the celebrity guest picker, didn't hesitate when the Kentucky-Ole Miss matchup came up, siding with the underdog Wildcats in a move that caught the rest of the panel by surprise. But to no one's surprise, the rest of the panel went with Ole miss.
Why Young's pick matters
This isn't just a random celebrity pick; it’s a shot of adrenaline for a Big Blue Nation that has heard all week about being a significant underdog. With a majority of national pundits predicting a comfortable win for Lane Kiffin’s squad, citing revenge from last year's loss as a major motivating factor, it's nice to see Kentucky get picked by someone.
Pundits all have pointed to Kentucky’s struggles on offense against Toledo as a primary reason the Rebels will win handily. The narrative has been that Kentucky’s defense can only do so much if the offense can't sustain drives and score points. And that is totally fair. It's just nice to see the blue and white picked on a board when most people have them going 4-8 at best.
Plus, at one point Trae Young was seriously considering being a Wildcat. Take a look at this quote from Trae's Dad to Matt Norlander back in 2017:
""He was going to Kentucky or Kansas," Ray Young said. "It wasn't even that big of a debate for a while. Once he got the offer from Kentucky, it's like, 'Dad, Coach (John) Calipari just left our house.' I would never say it was a done deal because we really liked Coach (Bill) Self a lot, and being around the coaches at Oklahoma and Coach Kruger, but there was no way he was not going to go to Kentucky, for about six or eight months. That's the thing people don't understand. He really wanted to go there but things didn't work out.""Ray Young, Trae's Dad
But Kentucky couldn't promise anything, and Young wanted to be at a place where he could be the guy. That lead him to Oklahoma. But now he is showing he may still have a little love for the blue and white after all.
Can the Wildcats prove him right?
For Kentucky to make Young's prediction a reality, they will have to defy the expert consensus. The path to victory involves the exact style of football that Mark Stoops preaches. The defense, which looked sharp against Toledo, must find a way to disrupt the rhythm of Ole Miss's high-tempo offense and create turnovers. Limiting explosive plays will be paramount.
Offensively, Zach Calzada and the rushing attack must be far more efficient than they were in Week 1. Sustaining long drives that end in points is the only way to keep the potent Rebel offense off the field and control the clock. If Kentucky can turn the game into a physical, low-scoring affair, they have a genuine chance to protect their home turf.
Today, Kentucky isn't just playing for a win; they're playing to prove the doubters wrong and validate the faith of one of the NBA's biggest stars.
Drew Holbrook is an avid Kentucky fan who has been covering the Cats for over 10 years. In his free time, he spends time with his family, and watching Premier League soccer. #UpTheAlbion