Kentucky football has matched its best ranking since 1977 season after shutout win
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Game day: No. 9 Kentucky 31, Youngstown State 0
Click below for more of the Herald-Leader’s and Kentucky.com’s coverage of Saturday’s Kentucky-Youngstown State football game at Kroger Field in Lexington.
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Kentucky football’s first shutout win since 2009 was enough to move the Wildcats up one spot in the Associated Press Top 25.
Despite the eight teams previously ranked ahead of the Wildcats also winning Saturday in blowout fashion, Kentucky leapfrogged Oklahoma State to move from No. 9 to No. 8 in the new poll released Sunday, one day after its 31-0 win over FCS Youngstown State. Oklahoma State fell behind Kentucky after a 63-7 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
Kentucky moved up from No. 10 to No. 9 in the new USA Today Coaches Poll thanks to Michigan State’s loss to unranked Washington. The Spartans fell from No. 9 to No. 21 in that poll.
Kentucky is the third highest-ranked Southeastern Conference team in the AP poll behind No. 1 Georgia and No. 2 Alabama. No. 10 Arkansas, No. 11 Tennessee, No. 16 Ole Miss, No. 20 Florida and No. 23 Texas A&M are the other SEC teams in the poll. Kentucky must still play Georgia, Tennessee and Ole Miss from that group.
The No. 8 ranking in the AP poll ties UK’s high water mark in that poll in 2007, when the Wildcats were twice ranked eighth. The last time Kentucky was ranked higher than No. 8 in the AP poll was when it was slotted at No. 6 in the 1977 postseason poll. The 1977 season also was the last time the Wildcats were ranked in the top 10 for more than two weeks.
Kentucky returns to action Saturday against Northern Illinois at Kroger Field. The Huskies were picked to win their division in the preseason Mid-American Conference poll but have lost back-to-back games against Tulsa and Vanderbilt.
This story was originally published September 18, 2022 at 2:12 PM.
