Not long ago Cats Illustrated writers were giving preseason opinions on how the 'Cats would fare this season.
We know a lot more now.
Using the extra time provided in a bye week, the same CI staff is amending preseason predictions and forecasting UK's final record based on where things stand now.
Jeff Drummond: Even though I predicted that UK would start the season 2-3, I can no longer see the rest of my forecast (winning six of the last seven) coming to fruition. That would be a stretch at this point. But the Cats remain more talented than five of the last seven teams on the roster, and there are only two road games remaining, so I think 7-5 is still within reach if they can get Sawyer Smith healthy and position groups like the O-Line and D-Line start playing to their preseason expectations.
Travis Graf: 6-6. There’s still only one game on the schedule that is a guaranteed loss, but the other “winnable” games are looking more daunting by the day. If Sawyer Smith was 100 percent, I’d have a different opinion and Kentucky would have a different record at this time. Kentucky will likely be one dimensional for the foreseeable future and will face a lot of stacked boxes over the next few weeks. I don’t think Kentucky’s roster features the players with the natural leadership traits to grab the locker room’s attention and right the ship. A lack of leadership, possibly a third string quarterback and a good amount of youth on defense isn’t necessarily the recipe for a large amount of success.
Justin Rowland: 5-7. During the Mississippi State game, I think a lot of us got the impression that we were watching a "letdown" performance. By the time the South Carolina game was over, the takeaway should have completely changed. This was not a letdown. This was, and remains until proven differently, a team that does not have answers with such a crisis situation at the most important position on the field. 5-7 would mean Kentucky goes 3-4 over its last seven games. That once seemed almost inconceivable. Unless the situation dramatically changes, it's hard to see the 'Cats beating UGA or Missouri. They will beat UT-Martin. The remaining four opponents are Louisville, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Vanderbilt. At the start of the year I would have guessed 4-0 in those games and really those teams have done nothing to warrant that we change our opinion of them. But a fair-minded person has to group the Kentucky of the last nine quarters in with those three SEC teams right now.
