Game Week: What to watch for

The long wait appears to be winding down, although there are still several days and thus a few hurdles yet to clear before Kentucky takes on Auburn.

Here's what we're watching for with the 'Cats and Tigers set to square off in the Yellowhammer State this weekend.

Week 1 depth charts are coming

Kentucky and Auburn will both release their first depth charts of the 2020 fall season today when their coaches meet with the media.

That should be interesting but as always they are non-binding and sometimes we shouldn't read too much into them.

Expect to see plenty of "or" options sprinkled on the depth chart for both teams, especially in Kentucky's backfield and in the secondary.

One thing to note: Don't expect any more candor when it comes to COVID-19 positives and contact tracing issues than we've seen to date, for legal reasons of course.

Auburn was hit hard in the early part of camp with 16 players out and even a week ago 10 were out for the Tigers, though at last check there had only been two new positives.

At this point before the season if a player is positive or is contact traced they are out for two weeks minimum, and so would miss the Kentucky-Auburn game even if asymptomatic.

Several media availabilities

Kentucky media will have several more opportunities to hear from coaches and players before the 'Cats make the trip down to Auburn.

As usual, Mark Stoops' press conference will be today. Around that time we should get some news about the roster and we'll hear final Week 1 comments from Eddie Gran, Brad White, other assistants, and select offensive and defensive players. Generally true freshmen are not available to speak until they have played in a game for the Wildcats.

The last media appearance by the 'Cats will be on Thursday before they head down to Auburn.

We'll also be monitoring what Gus Malzahn and his coaches and players have to say.

What happens to the line?

Depending on where you look there are lines giving Auburn a 7- to 10-point advantage in the spread. Most lines appear to be more in the 7 to 7.5-point range.

For context, 7-point favorites win about 70-percent of the time in college football.

It will be interesting to see what happens to the line as we get more news from the coaches on both sides of the contest and also where most of the bets and the big money plays are going.

Will Gatewood get clarity?

This game has the potential to be very big for former Auburn quarterback and current Wildcat signal-caller Joey Gatewood but he is still awaiting word on his eligibility.

Cats Illustrated has reported that Gatewood seems to have cleared most of his hurdles but it's more complicated and a longer process because the SEC is also involved. It's possible that Gatewood might not play even if he's cleared but this could be a big week for news on that front.