With Kentucky close to kicking off its 2024 college football regular season against Southern Miss there's a lot of interest at Cats Illustrated for the moment.
CI publisher Justin Rowland asked Kentucky fans for hot takes on the program and team going into the game with USM, and with the season upon us, and you delivered as always.
Here are some of those takes and buy/sell responses.
Sell. But of course this could go any way. On paper, I feel like UK's passing game is stronger than its rushing game minus Chip, until we see otherwise. I do expect the offensive line to blow open more holes and I wouldn't even be surprised if they rush for 200 yards. So what I'm saying is I could see the run numbers be very impressive given the opponent, but I would guess the passing game will produce more offense. But your pick could work out because Bush Hamdan might want to really get the ground game going.
Buy. Given that there are so many questions about the USM secondary and Kentucky has a dynamic receiver room, I wouldn't be surprised at all to see him go over 300 in his college debut. USM gave up 338 passing yards to Texas State, 360 to South Alabama, 391 to App State, and 319 to Troy in the season finale. None of those teams even had to attempt 40 passes to get to those numbers. We know the USM secondary got really banged up last year and they should be plenty healthy for this game but it's an advantage for Kentucky.
Sell. I think it's a 28-point spread for a reason. We can talk about whether it should be 21 or 24 or 28 but the line reflects a major advantage for the Cats, and it appears that Kentucky's strengths could give it a decisive advantage. I just don't have a lot of belief that Will Hall has this USM program in a place to make it all that close. They were very disappointing last year when they shouldn't have been.
Sell. I just don't see it. Kentucky has been better ATS in these games than they get credit for. I understand why a couple of close calls live on in the popular imagination. Now, am I going to pick Kentucky to cover a 28 point spread? That's up in the air right now, but I don't see it being a mortal lock that USM covers.
Buy. As of right now the forecast is showing a 58% chance of rain with scattered thunderstorms. We'll check it out closer to gametime but I agree, that could be a big variable that dictates how the Wildcats approach and attack. I'd imagine USM would love a rainy field because of UK's talent on the perimeter and the questions in their secondary.
Buy. This I definitely buy. Even if it were a great opponent, you might not get the full playbook because it's only one game. I'm sure there will still be some arrows in Hamdan's quiver when this one is over. He will probably want Brock Vandagriff to not have to take too many hits in a game where UK is such a heavy favorite to win and with a huge game right on the horizon. And with that Week 2 game against South Carolina looming so large there's added reason to keep stuff hidden ... perhaps especially with Gavin Wimsatt. Or maybe you throw some wrinkles out there early to give the Gamecocks more to prepare for.
TBD. Right now UK is a 28-point favorite and the line is 50.5. That means we've got a projected score of 39-12 or thereabouts. That's quite a bit of confidence in Kentucky's defense and I like to account for the possibility of more points allowed but that doesn't sound crazy. I wouldn't be surprised if the teams go over 50.5 but knowing how Stoops tends to prefer to shorten the game with a lead, you may be right.
Buy. Given how strong he has been during camp I would not be surprised if he makes the most of his opportunities. The only question is how many opportunities he will get, in my mind. This is a huge moment for a kid coming back to the Commonwealth and making a name for himself in blue and white.
Buy, cautiously. I think UK's defense will be one of the better units in the SEC based on Brad White's overall track record and the talent at each level of the defense, as well as the seniority especially in the middle. We still have to account for how they played last season and it was not championship level then. I do think it will be improved. As for whether Hamdan will open it up, I'm not sure about the first game but there should be enough fireworks.
Sell. That's more than I would anticipate. While I expect Kentucky to run a lot more plays this year than last year, when they were dead last in the country, I'm not sure they play the kind of football that would let three receivers see numbers like that. I'd guess they end up around 2,000 so your number isn't too far off. In the big picture, I agree with the sentiment that the receiver room is the source of a lot of the optimism for this year's team. They may need to carry the offense at times. Are they ready for that?
TBD. That'd be a great story. At this point in his career, I feel like we sort of know who JJ Weaver is. That's not a knock at all. I'm not expecting him to be a totally transformed player, but I would expect a stronger start. It took a while for him to get going last year and given the way he ended the season, and this being his last year, it wouldn't surprise me at all to see him start strong. That'd be great to see for him.
Sell. I think Demie could get to 120 yards, but he has never had more than 14 carries in a game. He had 14 carries in two games for NC State back in the 2022 season when he was needed in a pinch, and he had success in those games. I just don't think he's going to get 26 touches. He might get half of that.
Sell. But the way he ended last season would it really be shocking? I would guess that more players get involved. They'll want to involve Ja'Mori Maclin, as he's coming in and eager to make a name for himself in a UK jersey. They've got Fred Farrier as maybe one of UK's most promising 2nd string receivers in quite a long time. Then of course Barion Brown and Dane Key. I could see multiple touchdowns and explosives from Brown but you picked some huge numbers. I'll remember where I heard it first if it happens!
Buy. I really like this one, considering how disruptive Deone Walker and Kentucky's defensive line should be at the point of attack. On the flip side, I don't expect USM to get too aggressive and if they play conservative that makes a defensive score less likely. But this team got points from all three units at times last season and this is a great choice for it happening again.
