Kentucky’s relationship with the AP Poll this year hasn’t been great. Obviously Will Stein’s unit wasn’t ranked entering the season, but after earning the No. 24 slot and defeating South Carolina on the road, fans were shocked this past week to not see their team just a tad higher.

All the Cats could do was keep on winning games, not pay attention to outside noise and master the one-play focus they preach about constantly. Stein’s studs did just that.

After defeating No. 10 LSU at Kroger Field, a conference dub that had Kentucky in overtime in back-to-back matchups, the blue and white are now the No. 15 ranked team in the nation.

The Wildcats are one of nine teams ranked within the conference this week, joined by No. 1 Georgia, No. 6 Alabama, No. 7 Texas, No. 9 Ole Miss, No. 13 Missouri, No. 14 Tennessee, No. 16 Mississippi State and No. 22 LSU.

As it remains, Kentucky will only have three more ranked games this season, facing the Volunteers, the Gators and the other Tigers.

A full list of the rankings can be found below: 

1. 1. Georgia Bulldogs 
2. 2. Notre Dame Fighting Irish  
3. 3. Miami Hurricanes
4. 4. Ohio State Buckeyes  
5. 5. Indiana Hoosiers  
6. 6. Alabama Crimson Tide 
7. 7. Texas Longhorns  
8. 8. BYU Cougars  
9. 9. Ole Miss Rebels  
10. 10. Texas Tech Red Raiders s 
11. 11. Utah Utes  
12. 12. UCLA Bruins  
13. 13. Missouri Tigers
14. 14. Tennessee Volunteers  
15. 15. North Carolina Tar Heels 
16. 16. Mississippi State Bulldogs
17. 17. Iowa Hawkeyes
18. 18. Oklahoma State Cowboys
19. 19. USC Trojans
20. 20. Houston Cougars
21. 21. Wake Forest Demon Deacons
22. 22. LSU Tigers
23. 23. Boise State Broncos
24. 24. SMU Mustangs
25. 25. Northwestern Wildcats

Receiving votes: Wisconsin (92), Oregon (86), Arizona (82), Nebraska (65), Oklahoma (44), James Madison (29), Florida (9), Duke (5), New Mexico (3), Oregon State (1).

You could feel the intensity in the air. Thousands of passionate members of the Big Blue Nation packed into Kroger Field on Saturday, Oct. 10, unsure if their opinion of the Wildcats taking down No. 10 LSU was blinded by bias or an actual reality given the circumstances.

When was the last time Kentucky was 4-1 entering the month of October? Nobody could remember, but the feeling of winning was long overdue. Every person in attendance knew the implications of taking down Lane Kiffin and the Tigers.

Across the conference, ranked teams were losing games that they shouldn’t be and barely hanging on against the bottom-halfers. Everything aligned perfectly for the Wildcats to take over the SEC rankings and shock the nation yet again. That’s exactly what they did.

The game started with a strong drive by the Tigers, converting on third down twice and making it all the way to the Wildcats’ six-yard line. Bo Barnes and the defensive unit would stand strong, holding the visitors to a field goal.

Sending a shockwave across the commonwealth, running back CJ Baxter would break a run for 77 yards on the first offensive play of the game for Kentucky, deservingly punching it in for the touchdown on the very next run!

Don’t think this was enough to jumpstart a blowout or something along those lines, because the No. 10 ranked team in the country went right back down the field, using some trickery to get tight end Zach Grace wide open for the responding touchdown.

Kentucky’s next offensive drive would bleed into the second quarter, trailing by three.

After an unnecessary roughness call that set the Joe Sloan offense up past midfield, the blue and white would fail to move the ball any farther than LSU’s 44-yard line and would punt it away.

Jay Bateman’s defensive unit would hold up again, forcing the first punt on the night, but wideout Brock Coffman would juke and dash his way to a return touchdown for the Cats!

After the city of Lexington was absolutely juiced up, Kiffin and his team would make a trip right back to the endzone, converting on fourth down and eventually scoring to go up 17-14.

In response, Sloan and Stein would cook up a 15-play, 75-yard drive that would drain the remaining clock from the first half, ending in a touchdown from quarterback Kenny Minchey!

Kiffin would try his antics with the referees, somehow getting a timeout off on the first touchdown Kentucky scored, but Stein sent the offense right back out to do the same thing.

At the half, Kentucky held a four-point lead over the No. 10 team in the country.

Out of the intermission, the Wildcats would punt the ball away after a slow drive, giving the Tigers the ball back like they deferred the toss to begin with. However, a ball would be tipped in the air on the first play of their drive, with safety Ty Bryant hawking the ball down.

This huge play by the senior wouldn’t result in any points though, as the offense would go for it on 4th and 2 instead of taking the free points. Both offenses would remain stagnant for most of the third quarter, but the Tigers would capitalize on a roughing the passer penalty and turn it into a positive, making the game 21-20 in the Wildcat’s favor.

Minchey would find Kenny Darby for a deep ball to move the offense near midfield, with the drive ultimately leading to a field goal. Kentucky added on, now up 24-20 with 11:54 to go.

The Tigers would strike quickly, with Harris finding Roman Mothershed in the endzone for the lead-taking score. Just like that, Kiffin and the visiting team had snagged the lead right back.

With nothing but their own brothers by their side, the offense took the field in front of the passionate fanbase, looking to at least even things back up via a field goal. They would attempt to do just that, with Minchey sacked on a broken third-down play deep in enemy territory, but Adam Zouagui would miss it from 42 yards out.

Kentucky’s Jamarrion Harkles would force a fumble on the next enemy drive, but the offense was yet again stagnant close to blue grass, settling for a field goal. In dramatic fashion, Zouagui would miss a second field goal, this time from only 26 yards out.

Although a slight heart attack was had from everyone in the surrounding area, Zouagui would jog back on the field and drill the game-tying field goal after Kentucky’s defense got another stop, sending the game to overtime.

To begin the free-football period in Lexington, LSU would score quick on just two plays, with Sam Leavitt rushing his way in. Baxter would answer right back with a rushing touchdown of his own, with Stein choosing to for two as always to follow.

Minchey would drop back, looking for the option read for tight end Willie Rodriguez, but a sea of defenders would part, allowing the field general to rush it in uncovered and secure one of largest upsets in program history.

Up next on Saturday, Oct. 17, the Wildcats will travel down to Norman, Oklahoma for a matchup with the Sooners, looking to pick up yet another conference road win. Brent Venables and his team are coming off of playing in the Red River Rivalry, where they upset the No. 1 Texas Longhorns on a 47-yard game-winning field goal.

Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET and will air live on SEC Network.

Kentucky is making its presence felt on the defensive side of the ball, landing at the top of the Southeastern Conference in defensive pressures after week five of the 2026 season.

According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), the Wildcats have recorded 100 defensive pressures, including sacks, quarterback hits and hurries. Kentucky sits ahead of all 15 other SEC programs, with Auburn following closely behind at 99 pressures and Tennessee ranking third with 98. Alabama (96) and LSU (95) round out the top five.

The numbers were shared by Nick Kelly on social media on Oct. 4, highlighting just how competitive the race is at the top of the conference.

For Kentucky, the ranking highlights the defensive line’s ability to create those disruptions. Mi’Quise Humphrey-Grace has contributed 2.5 sacks, while Tavion Gadson and Grant Godfrey continue to remain key contributors along the front.

Although Will Stein’s team is beat up heading into their next game, the next-man-up mentality has been evident throughout the season, with more than just the starters playing a part in this impressive defensive statistic.

The Wildcats will have another opportunity to add to their total when they host No. 10 LSU at Kroger Field on Saturday, October 10. The matchup features two of the SEC’s top-five teams in defensive pressures, while Kentucky holds a narrow five-pressure advance over the Tigers in PFF’s rankings.