Kentucky has three of its tougher games in the rear view mirror. That's the good news.
The bad news is the Wildcats have lost to Florida, Mississippi State and South Carolina, the latter two being on the road.
The rest of the schedule does not appear daunting, except for Kentucky's own struggles.
Here's a re-rank of UK's remaining games in order of difficulty based on what we know from this season.
7. Tennessee-Martin (11/23)
Kentucky's lone 2019 game against an FCS opponent has always been the one true chip shot on the schedule. Even with UK's recent struggles this game should not be viewed any differently. UT-Martin is 2-2 on the season but in its one game against an FBS team it lost 45-0 to Florida in the Swamp. The Skyhawks are averaging only 3.3 yards per carry and struggle offensively.
6. Louisville (11/30)
It's probably too early to tell how improved Louisville is in the Scott Satterfield era. Notre Dame took care of business in the Cards' stadium after UofL put up an early fight, Florida State staved off a comeback bid (and these Noles always seem to allow a comeback bid), and Louisville took care of bad Eastern and Western Kentucky teams. Quarterback Malik Cunningham had a nice game (16/27, 286 yards, 2 TD, INT) against Florida State, but we're going to learn a lot more about the Cards in the weeks to come. The good news for Kentucky here is the game is at home and the 'Cats currently have superior depth at a number of positions. In a game that late in the season, that's not insignificant.
5. at Vanderbilt (11/16)
Vanderbilt is 1-3 on the season but the Commodores have played arguably the nation's toughest schedule. The 'Dores lost to UGA 30-6 in the season opener, followed that up with a 42-24 loss to Purdue (before the Boilermakers lost Elijah Sindelar and Rondale Moore), and were thrashed by LSU 66-38. Vandy's first win of the year was a 24-18 close call against NIU. It would be foolish to consider this a sure fire win especially on the road and Vandy's players have shown they will play hard for Derek Mason when their backs are against the wall.
4. Arkansas (10/12)
The Razorbacks have lost 13 consecutive SEC games but could be in the very odd position of being a Vegas favorite, or close to it, when they travel to Kroger Field two weekends from now. This game is tricky for two main reasons. One, Arkansas played much better against Texas A&M in a 31-27 loss than it had at any previous point in the season. Could that be a sign they are improving, finally, under Chad Morris? At the very least they haven't throw in the towel. Secondly, UK could be playing a receiver (Lynn Bowden) at quarterback for this game because of Sawyer Smith's health situation.
3. Tennessee (11/9)
The Volunteers have been lifeless for most of the season. After losing to Georgia State and BYU at home to start the season, the Vols handled Chattanooga 45-0. But if there were any thoughts that UT might be turning it around, they were promptly shut down 34-3 in the Swamp. There's a real possibility UT will be completely off the rails and incapable of beating a Power Five team in mid-November. But Kentucky fans who know the history of this series would be wise not to laugh too soon. If UK has a better quarterback situation later in the season they would be in good shape here.
2. Missouri (10/26)
When Missouri dropped its season opener to Wyoming a lot of people laughed off the Tigers' preseason hype. Since then all Missouri has done is dominate its opposition. Mizzou worked West Virginia 38-7, blanked Southeast Missouri State 50-0, and rolled over South Carolina 34-14. Kelly Bryant has put up good numbers and this is a team that's allowing 14.5 points per game, and just seven per game over its last three.
1. at Georgia (10/19)
What else could you pick here? Notre Dame took UGA to the wire in Athens but the Bulldogs remain one of the leading national contenders to reach the College Football Playoff. UGA has a lot to play for, this game is in Athens, and it would be a major upset if Kentucky or any SEC East team were to knock them off this season.
