Kentucky football was not ranked in the 2024 preseason AP Poll released on Monday, receiving just three votes.
The Wildcats are coming off a 7-6 season that ended in a 38-35 Gator Bowl loss to No. 20 Clemson and received four votes in the final poll of last season.
They found themselves in the poll just twice during the season, at No. 20 on October 1 and at No. 24 on October 8.
Nine SEC teams were ranked in the preseason poll, the highest being the Georgia Bulldogs at No. 1 after receiving 46 first place votes.
Texas, Alabama and Ole Miss appeared consecutively in the top 10 at No. 4, 5 and 6, respectively.
Just outside the top 10 was Missouri, coming off a 11-2 season that it topped off with a Cotton Bowl victory over Ohio State.
LSU and Tennessee came in at No. 13 and 15 and just below the Volunteers was Oklahoma, meaning both schools joining the SEC this year will begin the season with a ranked status.
The final SEC school in the poll was Texas A&M, which is preparing for its first season under head coach Mike Elko, at No. 20.
Auburn was the only SEC school aside from Kentucky to receive votes without appearing in the top 25, receiving a No. 24 ranking on one ballot.
Georgia, Texas, Ole Miss and Tennessee are the only schools ranked in the preseason poll that are on Kentucky’s schedule this season with Georgia being the only home game out of those four.
Two schools who received votes but were not ranked, Auburn and Louisville, will also face the Cats in 2024.
Kentucky’s season will kick off against Southern Miss on Saturday, August 31, at 7:45 p.m. ET at Kroger Field.
The full rankings can be seen below:
- Georgia Bulldogs
- Ohio State Buckeyes
- Oregon Ducks
- Texas Longhorns
- Alabama Crimson Tide
- Ole Miss Rebels
- Notre Dame Fighting Irish
- Penn State Nittany Lions
- Michigan Wolverines
- Florida State Seminoles
- Missouri Tigers
- Utah Utes
- LSU Tigers
- Clemson Tigers
- Tennessee Volunteers
- Oklahoma Sooners
- Oklahoma State Cowboys
- Kansas State Wildcats
- Miami (FL) Hurricanes
- Texas A&M Aggies
- Arizona Wildcats
- Kansas Jayhawks
- USC Trojans
- NC State Wolfpack
- Iowa Hawkeyes
