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247Sports Releases SEC Football Win Projections, Not Buying Into Kentucky

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© Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports

It is February and the sports world is starting to aim its focus on college basketball, but that doesn’t mean it is too early for some college football projections. Earlier this week, Brad Crawford of 247Sports released his win projections for every team in the SEC.

With Liam Coen back as offensive coordinator, bringing in Devin Leary to pair with some explosive and young talent, the Kentucky Wildcats are hoping to improve on a 7-6 season. Yet Crawford is not buying in, giving Kentucky the fourth-lowest win projection in the conference at 6.5 wins.

Here is their reasoning:

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“Kentucky gets an entire month of football to work in NC State transfer quarterback Devin Leary as the team’s new starter under Liam Coen, who has returned to the Bluegrass to call plays.

The Wildcats should be at least a touchdown favorite in every contest until Florida comes to Lexington to end the first month on Sept. 30. The final five weeks of the season will determine Kentucky’s fate. Those matchups include Tennessee, at Mississippi State, Alabama, South Carolina and Louisville on the road.”

This projection may seem low based on the fact that the Wildcats have won at least seven games in six of the last seven seasons, with the exception being a 2020 season (5-6) where ten conference games were played. However, they will play one of the toughest schedules in the country next season.

Headlined by assumed losses to Alabama and Georgia, Kentucky will only be a heavy favorite in four games, interestingly their first four games of the season – Ball State, Eastern Kentucky, Akron, and Vanderbilt. The most difficult part of evaluating the outlook on the season is the number of 50/50 games on the schedule, mentioned by Crawford, such as Florida, South Carolina, and Tennessee among others.

With that said, Mark Stoops and Co have excelled when an underdog and the Wildcats will look to exceed expectations once again.

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Here is a look at what the projections look like for the rest of the SEC.

Georgia: 11.5 wins
Alabama: 10.5 wins
Tennessee: 9 wins
LSU: 9 wins
Texas A&M: 7.5 wins
Auburn Tigers: 7.5 wins
South Carolina: 7.5 wins
Arkansas: 7 wins
Ole Miss: 7 wins
Florida: 6.5 wins
Mississippi State: 6 wins
Missouri: 5.5 wins
Vanderbilt: 4 wins

Also published on A Sea of Blue.

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Louisville Football Player Charged With First-Degree Strangulation, Days After Committing Game Losing Personal Foul

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Louisville Cardinals defensive back Tayon Holloway (20) reacts to his defensive play.
Eric Canha | Imagn

On Monday, Louisville football defensive back Tayon Holloway was detained and charged with first-degree strangulation and fourth-degree assault.

This comes just days after the former four-star prospect committed a costly personal foul to put a 2-7 Stanford team in field goal range and upset Louosillve 38-35 with a walk-off field goal.

As expected, Holloway has been indefinitely suspended from the team.

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“The University of Louisville is aware of the arrest of football student-athlete Tayon Holloway,” the university said in a statement. “As we gather more information, Tayon has been suspended indefinitely from all team activities.”

Things Cardinals seem to be in a downward trend as the Commonwealth Cup nears, November 30th.

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Kentucky snaps four game losing streak defeats Murray State 48-6

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Kentucky football coach Mark Stoops talking to Murray State football coach Jody Wright.
Jordan Prather | Imagn

Kentucky gets a much-needed victory over Murray St 48-6 to snap its four-game losing Streak. Brock Vandagriff led the way for the Cats, going 12-19 for 183 passing yards and two touchdown passes to Hardley Gilmore IV and Ja’Mori Maclin. 48 Points is the most points Kentucky has scored in a game since 2021 when the Cats scored 51 points against Louisville.

The defense held Murray St. without a touchdown. For the second time this season, Kentucky’s defense has held an opponent without a touchdown.

Freshman Standout today:

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For the second time this season, Kentucky breaks the 40-point mark as three freshmen make impacts for Kentucky. Jamarion Wilcox had 13 carries and 124 yards with a touchdown in the 3rd quarter.

Receiver Hardley Gilmore IV had two receptions for 72 yards and caught the 52-yard touchdown pass from Brock Vandagriff on the game-opening drive.

Four-star quarterback Cutter Boley started the second half for the Cats, going 10-14 and passing for 130 yards with two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter, both touchdown passes to sophomore receiver Anthony Brown-Stephens.

Defense Bounces Back:

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After giving up over 475 yards of total offense each of the last three games, Kentucky’s defense holds Murray State to 256 total yards of offense while also having three takeaways from the Murray State offense

Defensive Lineman Tre’vonn Rybka led the way for the defense with five tackles and the only sack of the game for Kentucky’s defense. Jordan Lovett had two takeaways in the first half for Kentucky and one in the red zone in the second quarter. Jackson Schultz had the final takeaway, picking off Jim Ogle’s pass late in the fourth quarter.

Box Score

With the win today over Murray St., Kentucky moves to 4-6 (1-6 SEC) with two games remaining. They look to keep their bowl eligibility alive as they travel to Austin, Texas, and face the No. 3 ranked Texas Longhorns at 3:30 pm on ABC. 

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Mark Stoops Responds to Retirement Rumors, “Zero Percent Chance I Do That”

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Kentucky football coach Mark Stoops responds to retirement rumors amidst disappointing season. "Zero percent chance I do that."
Jordan Prather | Imagn

To say there is unrest in the Kentucky Football fanbase would be an understatement. With a 3-6 record overall, and 1-6 in the SEC (15th out of 16) things look bleak, and there is still a quarter of the season to go. Considering the regression from the previous two seasons as well, it’s difficult to be optimistic about the future.

Over the last few weeks, rumors have circled that head coach Mark Stoops has considered retiring at the end of the season. Optics wise it makes sense, his older brother Bob Stoops surprisingly retired from Oklahoma at just 56, and Mark, now 57, has expressed a desire to spend more time with his children.

At his weekly press conference, Stoops was asked directly if there is any chance that he would walk away from Kentucky and retire at the season. To which he responded, bluntly:

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“Zero percent chance I do that. Next question.”

Mark Stoops is still owed more than $44 million on his contract. That’s A LOT of money to leave on the table and is the reason that the decision will be Stoops’ to make, as Kentucky cannot afford the buyout.

If Stoops holds true to his word and returns next season, NIL fundraising efforts may be the most difficult it has been for him. However, he hopes it sparks motivation to donate.

“I’ve seen it at other SEC schools,” Stoops said. “I want to stay away from that. I really get tired of — I don’t want to be like I am whining, I am crying. It is reality. You have to have dollars.”

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