Much like last season, Kentucky faces one of the toughest schedules in college football. Coming off a disappointing 4-8 campaign in 2024, Mark Stoops and the Wildcats will once again navigate the same SEC slate, just with home and road games flipped.

With a relatively manageable nonconference schedule paired with a brutal run of SEC matchups, let’s break down Kentucky’s toughest games in 2025. Can the Wildcats get back to a bowl game? With just the right amount of motivation, maybe.

Simply put, Kentucky will play some of the country’s best teams in 2025. If the Wildcats manage to beat any of these teams, which is highly unlikely, Lexington will throw a party it remembers for years.

Oct. 4 at Georgia

After winning back-to-back national championships in 2021 and 2022, Georgia had a so-called “down year”, in which it still won the SEC. Now, Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs look poised to sit atop college football once again, entering 2025 overflowing with elite talent.

Quarterback Gunner Stockton will lead the offense, while the defense features a secondary full of ball hawks and a defensive line stacked with NFL-caliber players.

Even if this isn’t the “Georgia of old,” the Bulldogs figure to be favored in every game this year, especially when Kentucky travels to Athens. While the Wildcats consistently play Georgia tough, Stoops remains winless against the Dawgs.

Can this be the year Kentucky gets over the hump? Probably not.

Oct. 18 vs. Texas

Much like Georgia, Texas is set to be a national championship contender in 2025, with Heisman favorite Arch Manning under center. Steve Sarkisian’s squad is ranked No. 1 in ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI), giving the Longhorns the highest projected chance to win the national title.

In 2024, Kentucky played Texas much closer than many expected in Austin. This year, the iconic program visits Lexington for the first time. The only previous meeting between Texas and Kentucky came in 1951.

While the day in Lexington might be one to remember, the result on the field might not be. Let’s see if the Cats can keep it close.

Nov. 8 vs. Florida

Billy Napier’s squad was much better than most expected in 2024. This year, the Gators look to be a dark horse contender in the SEC, fueled by a potentially explosive offense led by quarterback DJ Lagway, who took the nation by storm last season as a freshman.

According to BetMGM, Lagway is +1800 to win the 2025 Heisman Trophy, with a returning core of talented players and a strong recruiting class coming in. However, a tough SEC schedule might not produce the results many in Gainesville are hoping for.

One thing many Gators fans are confident in: beating Kentucky. Can Stoops create another memorable moment at home against Florida? The odds are stacked against him. Let’s see how motivated the Stoops troops are.

Oct. 25 vs. Tennessee

What a strange offseason it has been for Josh Heupel and the Volunteers. With a quarterback departure due to, well, unforeseen circumstances, and the need to replace key players on both sides of the ball, Tennessee enters 2025 in a somewhat vulnerable position.

Still, the Volunteers remain miles ahead of the Wildcats at this point. ESPN’s Football Power Index gives Tennessee a 38.5% chance to make the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff.

Much of the Vols’ success in 2025 will depend on transfer quarterback Joey Aguilar, an undeniable question mark. But history doesn’t favor Kentucky here: under Heupel, Tennessee is averaging 39.0 points per game at Kroger Field.

Can Kentucky finally slow down the Vols?

EA Sports has released College Football 26, the second installment of a once-dormant NCAA Football series.

This is only the second time in EA Sports history that the for name, image and likeness are found in their college football games, which date back to 1993 with Bill Walsh College Football.

Athletes will receive at least $1,500 for their name, image and likeness depending on their school’s size. An increase from the original $600 given for College Football 25, and each athlete will receive a Deluxe Edition of the game, according to The Athletic.

Coaches had the option to opt-in to College Football 26 for the first time in series history. 

Kentucky enters the game unranked as an 80 overall in Play Now with 80 offense, 78 defense and 78 special teams. In Dynasty mode, Kentucky was given three and a half stars out of five for program prestige.

Here’s an overview of the Wildcats player ratings according to EA Sports.

Top Rated Players by Overall:

Joshua Braun (LG) – 91

Dante Dowdell (HB) – 88

Seth McGowan (HB) – 86

David Gusta (DT) – 86

Jonquis Hardaway (CB) – 86

Josaih Hayes (DT) – 82

Quarterbacks:

Zach Calzada – 81

Cutter Boley – 73

Beau Allen – 73

Brennen Ward – 71

Ervin Barrett – 70

Halfbacks:

Dante Dowdell – 88

Seth McGowan – 86

Jamarion Wilcox – 84

Jason Patterson – 76

Tovani Mizell – 75

Reed Sperry (FB) – 68

Wide Receivers: 

Kendrick Law – 83

Ja’Mori Maclin – 81

Tony Stellato – 80

Fred Farrier II – 77

J.J. Hester – 77

Ashton Cozart – 75

Lauren Zimmerman – 70

David Washington Jr. – 69

Hardley Gilmore IV – 68

Tight Ends:

Josh Kattus – 77

Elijah Brown – 77

Henry Boyer – 76

Willie Rodriguez – 73

Alex McLaughlin – 70

Kent Goff – 68

Mycheal Smart – 66

Offensive Line:

Joshua Braun (LG) – 91

Alex Wollschlaeger (RT) – 81

Shiyazh Pete (LT) – 81

Jager Burton (C) – 79

Jalen Farmer (RG) – 78

Noah Harding (LG) – 75

Malachi Wood (RT) – 73

Evan Wibberley (C) – 73

Hayes Johnson (LT) – 72

Darrin Strey (RT) – 72

Aba Selm (RG) – 70

Rob Folger (LT) – 69

Shane Barnwell (LT) – 69

Ryan Blackburn-Gorman (LT) – 68

Cameron Jones (LT) – 68

Defensive Line:

David Gusta (DT) – 86

Josaih Hayes (DT) – 82

Mi’Quise Humphrey-Grace (LE) – 80

Kahlil Saunders (RE) – 78

Brian Robinson (LE) – 75

Darwin Sanders (RE) – 74

Austin Ramsey (DT) – 74

Jerod Smith II (LE) – 74

Tavion Gadson (LT) – 74

Kalen Edwards (DT) – 74

Henry Smith-Randall (LE) – 72

Jaden Williams (RE) – 72

Steven Soles Jr. (LE) – 72

Jacob Smith (RE) – 71

Linebackers:

Alex Afari Jr (MLB) – 76

Daveren Rayner (ROLB) – 76

Kameron Olds (LOLB) – 75

Sam Greene (LOLB) – 75

Landyn Watson (MLB) – 74

Grant Godfrey (ROLB) – 68

Devin Smith (MLB) – 67

Quintavion Norman (ROLB) – 67

J.J. Levin (LOLB) – 65

Lorenzo Cowan (LOLB) – 64

Cornerbacks:

Jonquis Hardaway – 86

Jantzen Dunn – 77

Quay’sheed Scott – 76

Terhyon Nichols – 75

Jonathon Gates – 67

Kevis Thomas – 71

Ali Robinson-Gage – 71

Nasir Addison – 70

Safeties: 

Jordan Lovett (FS) – 81

Ty Bryant (SS) – 77

D.J. Maddox (SS) – 76

Cam Dooley (FS) – 74

Dyllon Williams (SS) – 70

Jaden Smith (FS) – 69

Sebastian Thompson (FS) – 68

Jackson Schultz (SS) – 63

Special Teams:

Aidan Laros (P) – 77

Jacob Kauwe (K) – 69

Prior to its July 10 official launch, EA announced the top 100 players. 

The Wildcats were represented by Braun at No. 85, as he’s one of the highest-ranked offensive lineman.

Additionally, Law was tied with Georgia wideout Zachariah Branch with the fourth-highest speed rating at a 97 overall. Former Wildcat wideout Barion Brown was tied for the top spot at 99 overall speed alongside three others.

Lastly, Laros, Kentucky’s punter made waves on social media for having zero toughness rating making him the only player in a game without any toughness.

College Football 26 is available on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S for $69.99 and will officially release worldwide on July 10.

All of the Wildcats ratings can be found here.

After a decade-long hiatus, a NCAA college football video game resurfaced last July, sparking many to praise the return of a popular and impactful series.

While many enjoyed having the legendary dynasty modes back and rebuilding their favorite teams, speculation about the games’ actual gameplay features caught the eye of many enjoyers.

EA Sports College Football 25 did not feature coaches’ face scans and were missing from the game entirely, and for a while before a game update, many stadium and player features were not included upon release, such as correct hair color and styles, pyro and fireworks after touchdowns and a variety of proper fan movement.

Should players be this picky? That’s always up for debate and depending on exactly who you ask, but at the bare minimum, we offer an exclusive look at the improvements that EA has made to this year’s brand new game, and rest assured, it gives those motivated Kentucky fans something to look forward to.

Seen below is head coach Mark Stoops and his initial face and body scan that will be in the game upon the July 7 early-release date.

We also had a chance to see the Wildcats’ entrance onto the field, both for a day and a night game.

Regardless, when the game comes out, we’ll be able to really get a feel for how motivated EA was when improving their game over this past year. Until then, Big Blue Nation, watch your watch and be ready to play.

The early-release date for those who pre-ordered the game is set for 12:00 p.m. ET on July 7, while the full game releases globally on July 10.