What's at stake when Kentucky hosts Mississippi State this weekend?
That's what Cats Illustrated seeks to tackle right here.
For starters, we've got to point out that the best case scenario for Kentucky football in 2020 is probably already significantly downgraded from what that seemed to be in the preseason.
Just two weeks ago it didn't seem crazy to suggest Kentucky might finish 6-4. But that would have almost certainly included a win over Ole Miss and maybe even a 2-0 start.
With the Wildcats now 0-2, 6-4 looks like it will be very difficult to achieve. That would mean UK could only lose two more games, and the 'Cats still have contests against Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee on the schedule.
Still, this is another important game for UK football even if the first two didn't go well.
This is probably Kentucky's best chance to get a win before the trip to Missouri for the game on Halloween. Tennessee has a strong national ranking and UGA is a top-5 team in the same polls.
While Mississippi State beat LSU the Arkansas game proved they haven't turned the corner and they aren't in the clear. The vulnerability must be exploited by UK. If the 'Cats lose this game, Vegas will be expecting an 0-5 start.
Stadiums won't be packed this year regardless but the atmosphere around campus will clearly shift to anticipation for basketball, entirely, if UK begins 0-3 with two home losses as favorites.
In the bigger picture, for a UK team with this much hype and anticipation coming into the season to lose to two first-year coaches (at their respective schools) in Lane Kiffin and Mike Leach would give the impression that the 'Cats might be hitting a bit of a wall in the bigger picture.
A win could give the program some badly needed momentum, and if they could carry that into Knoxville and surprise the Volunteers it would set up a big game against Georgia the following week.
If the 'Cats start 0-3 with 0-5 as a possibility it would be impossible to ignore the potential recruiting ramifications. Filling the remaining spots in the class would be more difficult and that would be strong ammunition for opposing schools to use in trying to poach the Cats' recruits.
And another loss would open Kentucky to the possibility that the wheels could come off altogether.
Before the season UK really needed to be 2-1 after the first three games in order for fans to feel like a special season would be possible. Now, salvaging 1-2 seems like a very different goal, but that's where things stand.
