Eight reasons the Auburn game is Kentucky's biggest in 2020

Kentucky will play a 10-game SEC-only schedule and it will almost certainly be the most difficult slate in at least the modern history of the program.

There's a strong case to be made that the first game is also the most important, and not just because you might say that about "the next one" each week.

Here's the case for UK-Auburn as the most defining game of the Cats' season, while acknowledging a range of outcomes for the year still exist regardless of the outcome.

It's a tone-setter

Even though Week 1 is often very ugly, and it was across college football for programs in other leagues recently (other than Clemson), it is sometimes a tone-setter. If Kentucky can win on the road in at Auburn it could give the team enormous confidence heading into the rest of the schedule. If Kentucky were to lose that game, there would be quite a bit more pressure on the team not to drop either of the contests to Mississippi. The margin for error would instantly decline.

It would an historic rarity

Kentucky is 6-26-1 against Auburn all-time. The 'Cats did win their last trip to Jordan-Hare Stadium, 21-14 thanks to Randall Cobb's fourth quarter heroics, back in 2009. That win in 2009 was the first football game Kentucky had won in the state of Alabama since 1964. It was also Kentucky's first win against Auburn anywhere since 1966.

Thanks to the SEC's expansion and the fact that Auburn is not an annual game, these teams don't see one another often.

Respect and first impressions

Kentucky is currently ranked No. 20 and No. 23 in the two major polls. It remains to be seen if that will hold with the Big Ten announcing a return to play (although it would be silly for voters and coaches to put Big Ten teams back in at least until they start to play), but this is going to be one of the biggest college football games anywhere in the country for the first part of the season. Kentucky beating Auburn would always be a big news story in the SEC, but it would get a ton of national attention for the Wildcats here. The 'Cats would likely jump into the Top-15 and maybe close to the Top-10 depending on how the rankings are done. That would be great publicity for the program, which would be magnified with it being the first game of the season. Everyone would be talking about what's possible for Kentucky in the East.

Bellwether game

Perhaps most importantly, this first game is going to be a bellwether and a sign of what might lie in store for the rest of the season.

Week 1 is not necessarily a team's destiny so it wouldn't be wise to draw conclusions that are too strong either way, regardless of the outcome, but we will indeed learn a lot.

We'll find out what Terry Wilson looks like after so much time away from game action. We'll find out a bit about Kelvin Joseph. We'll start to see how the left guard spot is filled. We might learn something about inside linebacker depth. We'll see if there's a talent gap with a very good program in the West.

It's a good matchup

Auburn's strength appears to be an offense that could have big play potential. Kentucky has been good at limiting big plays in recent years.

The Tigers' primary strength appears to be a set of receivers that can break a game open. The Wildcat secondary didn't allow much last year, and returns almost everyone with some big additions.

On the flip side, Kentucky is strong in the lines and the Tigers have to replace quite a bit on both sides.

That doesn't mean Kentucky should be considered the favorite, but it's reasonable for someone to conclude the matchup isn't bad for Mark Stoops' program.

Unique road opportunity

Auburn isn't likely to be much more than a touchdown favorite against Kentucky and on the road, on the Plains, that's rarely going to happen.

If you're going to play a strong team on the road, this is the year to do it.

Auburn will allow 20-percent capacity at Jordan-Hare Stadium and they will all be students during Week 1 for the Kentucky game. So it will be louder than for other games later in the season, but still, that's a mostly empty house.

We can't take the later games for granted

In a year that will be shaped and even defined by COVID-19, we're going to be talking about postponements and cancellations throughout the 2020 season. It's already happening in other conferences.

The SEC will have a limited opportunity to postpone a game or maybe two but because the league is starting quite a bit later than the Big 12 or ACC there could be some games that aren't made up. That means whatever games that are played will have an outsized impact on the overall results.

Of course, just because Kentucky-Auburn is first on the schedule doesn't mean the game is even going to happen on Sept. 26. We still have to get there.

Immediate recruiting impact

Kentucky still has about nine spots to fill in the current recruiting cycle. That means there's a wide range of outcomes for what the class might ultimately look like.

Beating the No. 9 team in the nation on the road in Week 1 would be the kind of thing that would really resonate with football-starved prospects who are in touch with Kentucky's coaches.