After an offseason where they almost lost their head coach to another SEC program and saw another conference rival replace a legend as head coach, stability will be the name of the game for the Kentucky Wildcats on the gridirons of the South this fall.
On the heels of a second straight 7-6 season and an eighth straight bowl game, head coach Mark Stoops returns to Lexington with an eye on getting the Wildcats back where they were in 2021, when UK went 10-3 and reached double-digit wins for the fourth time in school history.
This year, the Wildcats across Kentucky sports betting face long odds of winning the SEC, with most sportsbooks listing UK around +10000 to win the conference, ranking ahead of only Arkansas (+12500), Mississippi State (+20000) and Vanderbilt (+50000).
Utilizing FanDuel Kentucky’s current win total for the 2024 college football season, Kentucky was found to be set at 6.5 wins (+120 over). Utilizing SportsReference.com, we found all teams with a 6.5-win total line in the last 3 seasons and how they performed.
Season Performance Of 6.5 Win Total Teams
Situation | Number of Teams | Percentage* |
Under 6.5 Wins | 26 of 56 | 46.4% |
Over 6.5 Wins | 30 of 56 | 53.6% |
College Football Playoff Appearance | 1 of 56 | 1.8% |
Year-End AP Poll Top 25 Team | 21 of 56 | 37.5% |
*Rounded to nearest whole number
Can UK Flip 6.5 Win Total Blues In 2024?
Over the last 10 years, only 1 of the 56 CFB teams that started the season with a win total of 6.5 have gone on to reach the CFP, while 30 of those 56 squads (or 53.6%) cleared their preseason win totals. Something to keep in mind before you log in to Kentucky betting apps this fall.
The odds are slightly higher (37.5%) that preseason 6.5-win total teams will end the year in the final AP top-25 poll, giving Stoops’ team confidence that the deck isn’t entirely stacked against them in the newly expanded, 18-team SEC.
Kentucky will likely have to load up on wins in the team’s non-conference slate, with games against Southern Miss, Ohio, Murray State and Louisville offset by SEC contests against South Carolina, Georgia, Vanderbilt and Auburn in Lexington to go with road clashes with Ole Miss, Florida, Tennessee and Texas this season.
Regardless of where UK finishes the year, the Wildcats will look to get off to a solid start when they host Southern Miss in Week 1 on Aug. 31.
USA Today photo by Jeff Faughender.
