Kentucky Ranked No. 24 in ESPN's 2023 Preseason SP+ Rankings

We may be inching closer to March Madness, but college football polls, metrics and all sorts are already rearing their heads in the long lead-up to the 2023 season.

One of those rankings were released on Tuesday, as ESPN's Bill Connelly dropped his 2023 Preseason SP+ Rankings.

What is SP+, you may be asking?

Well, Connelly uses three "primary factors" in his projections to craft the rankings:

Returning production
Recent recruiting
Recent history

That leads to a grand list of all 133 FBS programs. The Kentucky Wildcats check in at No. 24, good for ninth in the SEC:

1. Georgia (31.7)
4. Alabama (27.5)
6. Tennessee (24.1)
7. LSU (23.5)
17. Texas A&M (16.9)
18. Ole Miss (16.7)
20. Florirda (15.1)
23. Mississippi State (14.8)
24. Kentucky (14.5)
26. Auburn (13.7)
29. Arkansas (13.0)
32. Missouri (12.1)
33. South Carolina (11.9)
71. Vanderbilt (-3.0)

As always, the SEC grades out the highest of any conference, averaging at 16.6. The next highest is the Big Ten (10.1), just beating out the Big 12 (10.0).

Hopes of course are high for the Wildcats, as they look to bounce back from a disappointing 7-6 season in 2022. A new offensive coordinator, quarterback and running back are in town, ready to transform what was one of the worst offenses in the nation a year ago.

Defensive coordinator Brad White is of course back in the saddle, turning a page of his own as the longtime core of veteran linebackers have departed. Connelly's SP+ projections still have UK as the fourth-best defense in FBS, however.

Year 11 of the Mark Stoops era begins on Sept. 2, as the Cats host Ball State for the first of three home games to kick off the campaign. UK opens SEC play at Vanderbilt on Sept. 23.

You can see Kentucky's entire 2023 schedule HERE.

Projecting every SEC team's starting QB in 2023.

Kentucky landed a 4-star defensive lineman on National Signing Day. More HERE.

WATCH: Kentucky football's transfer portal signees speak to the media

Devin Leary discusses his decision to transfer to Kentucky HERE.

Ray Davis isn't following former Kentucky RB's footsteps. More HERE.

Kentucky's transfer portal tracker can be found HERE.

Want the latest on national football and basketball recruiting, including Cats targets? Head over to SI All-American for the latest news, blogs, and updates about the nation's best prospects.

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