Over half of Kentucky football's schedule is top 25 teams

Will Stein came into Lexington and brought a ton of new faces, including players. Assembling what's expected to be one of the best offensive line's in the SEC and a defense with promise after the hire of Jay Bateman, who had some of the nation's best defenses at Texas A&M. Overall, though, the Wildcats are projected in the bottom-tier of the SEC and there's a reason for that.

The overall outlook of the Stein era should have fans excited, but as for year-one expectations, those should be tempered. According to ESPN's FPI, the Wildcats will be facing the fourth-hardest schedule in all of college football. On Monday, we found out just how difficult the road will be for Kentucky this season.

Ahead of the season beginning in just a few weeks, the official preseason AP Poll top 25 was revealed on Monday. Out of Kentucky's 12 opponents, seven will enter the season ranked in the top 25. Who are they? According to the rankings, their toughest opponent will be in week 3 when they head to College Station to take on the Texas A&M Aggies, who are ranked #8 in the preseason poll. Others include Oklahoma (#10), who they will face in week 7, LSU at #11 (week 6), Alabama (#13, week 2), Tennessee (#20, week 9), Louisville (#24, week 12), and Missouri (#25, week 11).

Out of those seven ranked opponents, four of them will be on the road, in what will be some very hostile environments, especially the rivalry matchup with Tennessee and when they face top 10 Texas A&M and Oklahoma. As you can see, it's a very tough path for Stein and his team to handle in his first season as a head coach and at Kentucky, but they're embracing the challenge. They know what it takes to become a top program and that means going through adversity.

Speaking of dealing with adversity, last month at SEC Media Days down in Tampa, Stein made sure the entire conference knows the mindset he's bringing to Lexington.

"I really believe we built a strong connection up to this point, and we will continue to grow together throughout the season," Stein said at the 2026 SEC Media Days. "This is going to be a tough program. Football is the toughest game played by tough men. It's physically demanding and mentally exhausting. But guess what? Life is tough too. And the one thing I refuse to be is soft-minded. I understand. I've already accepted myself that there will be tough moments this season. There always are in every year that I've ever coached. Our response as our team will dictate the outcomes. I cannot wait to fight adversity with this group."

Can Kentucky shock the college football world? That remains to be seen, but there is a lot of hope from fans as we enter a new era in Lexington with fresh faces and new schemes.

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