Kentucky absent from preseason Coaches Poll

There's a lot of optimism regarding Kentucky's football team going into the 2020 season.

The Wildcats should face a challenging schedule but with the return of Terry Wilson and Davonte Robinson, important transfers complementing the roster, and most starters returning on both sides of the ball many believe the 'Cats can have one of the programs best seasons in a long time.

But UK was noticeably absent from the Amway Coaches Poll released on Thursday.

Amway Coaches Poll (first place votes)

1, Clemson (38)

2. Ohio State (17)

3. Alabama (4)

4. Georgia

5. LSU (6)

6. Oklahoma

7. Penn State

8. Florida

9. Oregon

10. Notre Dame

11. Auburn

12. Wisconsin

13. Texas A&M

14. Texas

15. Michigan

16. Oklahoma State

17. USC

18. Minnesota

19. North Carolina

20. Utah

21. UCF

22. Cincinnati

23. Iowa

24. Virginia Tech

25. Iowa State

Kentucky has not been a preseason top-25 choice since 1978 when the previous year's team finished 10-1 and No. 6 in the nation.

The SEC's schedule has not been released but based on the eight conference games that are set Kentucky will face three of the top 11 teams in the poll.

The Wildcats are No. 29 in the poll, falling behind Tennessee, Boise State, and Arizona State in the "others receiving votes" category.