Tight end Izayah Cummings appreciates UK’s preseason ranking but says the team wants to finish the season No. 1. (Vicky Graff Photo)
Kentucky won 10 games in 1977 and started the 1978 season ranked 15th in the Associated Press preseason ranking. That was the last time UK was ranked in the AP preseason poll until this season when the Cats were ranked 20th.
Hopefully Kentucky will fare a lot better than it did in 1978 when it finished 4-6-1.
Kentucky is also No. 21 in the preseason coaches poll.
If that is not enough preseason love for coach Mark Stoops’ team, then look at what SEC Network analyst Chris Doering predicted. He has Kentucky going 11-1 and beating defending national champion Georgia. The only loss he predicted was to Tennessee but 11-1 would put UK in the SEC championship game, a goal that team has set for this season.
It’s no surprise that Stoops basically downplayed the rankings even though UK has only been in the preseason AP Top 25 four times in program history.
“I’m glad for the team and for the fanbase and all the hard work,” Stoops said after Saturday’s practice. “But as you know, I mean, I’ve said this many times when we weren’t ranked – I’d rather see where we’re at at the end of the year. That’s still the same.”
Kentucky finished 15th last year when it went 10-3 and beat Iowa in the Citrus Bowl. However, UK lost four players to the draft and has questions at offensive tackle, receiver and defensive backfield going into the season.
“I want to be ranked much higher than we are right now at the end of the season. So, it is what it is. I have no control over that stuff,” Stoops said.
“I like this team, I like the focus they have. We need to do some things better, and I will challenge them to work on that. But overall, I like their mindset.”
Kentucky has not started and ended a season in the top 25 in over 70 years but Stoops, who now has more 10-win seasons than Bear Bryant did at Kentucky, believes it could happen this year.
“Offensively, I see a lot of young, dynamic playmakers. I see some guys that are athletic and can stretch the field,” Stoops said.
One of those playmakers could be tight end Izayah Cummings who is not overreacting to the preseason rankings.
“We heard about it. We still want to be at that No 1 spot. It’s nice to have a starting spot at No. 20 but we want to get to the top,” Cummings said.
