Due to its violence, I support abolishing football, as I wrote in a 2019 Google Blogger [1] post.
Huge numbers of injuries occur, and an objective of tackling other players seems counterproductive to good sportsmanship.
But I remain a big UK football fan. Yes, I confess I am a hypocrite. Now, on to the forecast.
Kentucky Wildcats Football 2022 Overview
For perhaps the first time in my memory, the national media ranks UK football better than many local UK fans, including me.
The preseason Associated Press poll has Kentucky #20 and the AFCA Coaches’ poll has the Cats at #21, as stated on ESPN [2] and other media sites.
Quarterback and running back are arguably the two highest profile positions in college football. Kentucky quarterback Will Levis and running back Chris Rodriguez are both highly regarded.
Those two are probably big reasons that the AP and Coaches’ polls rank Kentucky higher than all its opponents except Georgia. This could indicate an 11-1 record for the season.
But road games at Florida, Mississippi, and Tennessee will be tough, as I think even pollsters would agree. My guess is that UK will be an underdog in at least one or two of those road games.
Longest Active Non-Conference Win Streak in the Country
The University of Kentucky football team now has the longest active non-conference winning streak in the country among Division I schools, according to ASeaofBlue.com. [3]
This speaks well for the Wildcats. It’s true that many of the nonconference wins came against mediocre teams, and that in 2020 their regular season only included SEC teams. But that winning streak includes four bowl wins. I expect Kentucky to add four games to that streak this year, five if they win a bowl game.
Game-by-Game Predictions
Kentucky’s 2022 schedule is posted on UKAthletics.com [4] and many other websites. Below is my game-by-game forecast.
Game 1: Miami University (Ohio), home, September 3, 2022; The season opener will be an easy win for UK, despite some likely opening game jitters.
Game 2: University of Florida, away, September 10, 2022; Last year, Florida had a dismal season by Florida standards. The Gators will be a much better team by the end of this season, as I see it. But fortunately for Kentucky, this game is early in the season. I expect a UK win in a close game to go 2-0.
Game 3: Youngstown State University, home, September 17, 2022; The Cats move to 3-0 on the season with an easy win.
Game 4: Northern Illinois University, home, September 24, 2022; Another easy wins puts UK 4-0.
Game 5: University of Mississippi, away, October 1, 2022; The SEC west is typically tougher than the east, and Mississippi is a quality team. The Cats will try hard, but fall short, as Kentucky goes to 4-1 on the season.
Game 6: University of South Carolina, home, October 8, 2022; The Cats bounce back to beat South Carolina to go 5-1.
Game 7: Mississippi State University, home, October 15, 2022; UK goes to 6-1 with a win over a fairly good Mississippi State team.
Game 8: University of Tennessee, away, October 29, 2022; Tennessee is one of Kentucky’s biggest rivals, and is a team that usually gives UK trouble. How Tennessee is doing at this time of year will help determine how the game goes. But my guess is that Tennessee will prevail in Knoxville to put the Cats at 6-2.
Game 9: University of Missouri, away, November 6, 2022; This will not be an easy game, but Kentucky will win to go 7-2.
Game 10: Vanderbilt University, home, November 12, 2022; The Wildcats go to 8-2 with a comfortable win over Vanderbilt.
Game 11: University of Georgia, home, November 19, 2022; Georgia is the toughest team on Kentucky’s schedule. Even with all the quality players gone from last year’s Bulldogs, Georgia has much more talent than Kentucky. By this late in the season Georgia will be back in a groove, while Kentucky will likely be suffering from depletion due to injuries. I pick Georgia to win and put UK at 8-3.
Game 12: University of Louisville, home, November 26, 2022; Kentucky won’t win easily in this game of instate rivals. But UK will prevail to finish 9-3, and earn a bowl game, maybe a good one.
Cautions About My Forecast
Forecasting football seasons isn’t easy. Surprises often occur. Furthermore, I am just a fan. I’ve never coached or played football.
But I’ve been a fan since 1973, following Kentucky football somewhat regularly via radio, television, and then in-person at most home games while I was a UK student.
Below is a photo of a shirt I bought as a UK freshman in 1976 to wear to home games while I was a student.
Kentucky’s star running back, Chris Rodriguez, is expected to be suspended for one or a few games at the start of this 2022 season, though Coach Mark Stoops hasn’t announced anything official yet. My guess is that he’ll only miss the season opener, but I could be wrong.
Some others have forecast Rodriguez to be suspended three or four games. An article on 247Sports.com [5] discusses Stoops commenting about Rodriguez’s status. More news about this will come out as the season approaches.
Furthermore, the Southeastern Conference has several teams with more talent than Kentucky, including some with quarterbacks and running backs arguably better than Kentucky's, even excluding top-ranked Alabama.
My point is to expect surprises this season. At its best, I even think UK has a chance to go 12-0. But their chances of beating Georgia would be better if the game was played early in the season before injuries likely deplete Kentucky and Georgia has time to adjust to the players it lost from last season. At least one and maybe all three of those tough road games at Florida, Mississippi, and Tennessee are likely to be losses.
But who knows what surprises await as the season unfolds?
Closing Thoughts
Fans, remember football is only a game. Whether Kentucky wins or loses matters little in the grand scheme of God’s immense universe. And, yes, I still feel that football should be abolished due to the violence and injuries that occur. But I’ll still be following Kentucky’s football team and rooting for UK to win this season. Go Big Blue!
ENDNOTES:
[1] Gibson, James Edwin; “Football and Other Violent Sports Need to Cease—But I’m a Hypocrite”; Google Blogger; August 31, 2019; webpage accessed August 28, 2022; https://oneopinionsomeviews.blogspot.com/2019/08/football-and-other-violent-sports-need.html
[2] “College Football Rankings (All FBS 2022 Preseason)”: ESPN; webpage accessed August 28, 2022; https://www.espn.com/college-football/rankings
[3] Hahn, Samuel; “How Kentucky football got the nation’s longest active non-conference winning streak”; A Sea of Blue; January 11, 2022; webpage accessed August 28, 2022; https://www.aseaofblue.com/2022/1/11/22872434/kentucky-wildcats-college-football-longest-winning-streaks
[4] “UK 2022 Football Schedule”; UKAthletics.com; webpage accessed August 28, 2022; https://ukathletics.com/sports/football/schedule/
[5] Fisher, Chris; “Mark Stoops issues statement on status of Chris Rodriguez”; 247Sports.com; August 27, 2022; webpage accessed August 28, 2022; https://247sports.com/college/kentucky/Article/chris-rodriguez-kentucky-football-mark-stoops-suspension-192179942/
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