TAKE TWO: Key Home Game for Wildcats
In this edition of Cats Illustrated's "Take Two" feature, staff writers Justin Rowland and Jeff Drummond offer their opinions on which Kentucky home game might hold the key to the Wildcats' 2024 season.
JUSTIN ROWLAND:
I'm going to go with Kentucky's September 7th game against South Carolina. The Gamecocks have won two in a row against Kentucky and that's an important bellwether. That's a game Kentucky needs to win more often than not. It's early in the season and it comes one week before the Georgia game. If Kentucky were to lose to South Carolina for a third straight season right before the Bulldogs come to town it could be a rough start to the season. That's not what Kentucky needs when the schedule is so brutal. This will be a very different kind of South Carolina team so both teams will probably be feeling one another out. If UK wins and goes into the UGA game 2-0 then the worse they can come out is 1-1 in the SEC. That's much better than 1-2 with Ole Miss, Florida, Auburn, and Tennessee in the next six weeks. When you look at the schedule in the big picture this is simply a game Kentucky needs to win or you wonder how the tougher games are going to play out. To have a chance in those games it doesn't need to be a team that couldn't beat South Carolina at home.
JEFF DRUMMOND:
I think JR has made a strong case with his pick of the South Carolina game, especially with it coming in Week 2. It's a major table-setter for both teams. That said, I think the Wildcats are the better team coming into the season, they'll likely have fewer question marks at quarterback than the Gamecocks, and it will be played on the home turf. Simply put, that's a game UK should win, so I'm going to aim high and target Week 3 against Georgia as my choice. Obviously, this is a tall order, and don't mistake this for me picking the Cats to pull the upset, but every special season under Mark Stoops has been accented by a big win in a game that most observers were not even mulling (Florida in 2018 or LSU in 2021) when preseason predictions were posted. Georgia is the last remaining hurdle for the Cats to clear among the old SEC East teams during the Stoops era. Sooner or later, UK is going to break through. The Bulldogs will be loaded with talent again in 2024, but Lexington has frequently been a more challenging game than expected. The last two meetings at Kroger Field have been settled by 11 and 10 points, respectable showings for the Cats, who covered spreads of 17 and 22. Finding a way to pull an upset on Sept. 14 could be the springboard to a huge season.