SEC Network analyst bullish on Kentucky football’s outlook

You remember Chris Doering. He’s the former Florida wide receiver who helped shatter Big Blue Nation hearts Sept. 11, 1993. Kentucky intercepted seven Gators passes that night at Commonwealth Stadium. And lost. Doering snatched a touchdown pass from then-unknown quarterback Danny Wuerffel with eight seconds left for a 24-20 Florida win.

Doering is now an SEC Network analyst. During halftime of Kentucky basketball’s 85-61 exhibition win over the Bahamas Select Team on Wednesday night, Doering went game-by-game picking the Cats’ football season.

His conclusion: 8-4.

Doering said he sees Mark Stoops’ team losing in Gainesville to Florida (again), at home to Mississippi State, in College Station to Texas A&M and at home to Georgia.

Doering has Kentucky closing the regular season with a flourish, beating Tennessee in Knoxville (for the first time since 1984), Middle Tennessee at Kroger Field and Louisville in Louisville.

[Kentucky football sortable roster for 2018]

Which is the biggest game of the season? Doering pinpointed the Oct. 27 trip to Missouri as the key to the campaign. And he picked Kentucky to prevail against Drew Lock and company at Mizzou.

SEC host Peter Burns, who played host to the segment, said he thinks Kentucky will win at Florida Field, snapping a losing streak against the Gators that stretches all the way back to 1986 overall and 1979 in the Sunshine State.

UK tight end C.J. Conrad was among those liking Burns’ tweet repeating his Cats-over-Gators prediction.

We shall see. UK’s opener is Sept. 1 at home against Central Michigan.

Kentucky football 2018 schedule

This story was originally published August 9, 2018 at 9:19 AM.