Kentucky football cracks USA TODAY Sports preseason Coaches Poll. See the full rankings

Brooks Holton, Louisville Courier Journal
·3 min read
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Mark Stoops's Kentucky football team is among the top 25 in the country heading into the 2022 season, according to a panel of 65 head coaches.

The Wildcats are ranked No. 21 in the preseason USA TODAY Sports AFCA football coaches poll, which was released Monday. UK begins the new campaign at 7 p.m. Sept. 3 against Miami (Ohio) at Kroger Field.

With a 10-3 record and victory in the Citrus Bowl, Kentucky finished the 2021-22 season ranked No. 15 in the final coaches poll. The Wildcats return quarterback Will Levis and boast several experienced starters on defense, but questions remain about running back Chris Rodriguez's status heading into the season after he plead guilty to operating a motor vehicle under the influence in July.

Kentucky's 2022 schedule features games against two teams ranked in the preseason coaches poll: Georgia at No. 3 and Ole Miss at No. 24. The Wildcats travel to Oxford, Mississippi, to play the Rebels on Oct. 1 and welcome the Bulldogs to Lexington on Nov. 19.

Four other opponents — Tennessee (163), Mississippi State (19), Florida (17) and Louisville (1) — also received votes.

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Kentucky ranks fourth among the six Southeastern Conference teams to crack the preseason poll. The Wildcats trail top-ranked Alabama, Georgia and Texas A&M (No. 7) but were ranked higher than Arkansas (No. 23) and Ole Miss.

At the conclusion of SEC Media Days in July, media members picked UK to finish second behind Georgia in the SEC East. During the event, Stoops dismissed the preseason hype —"I prefer to have people talk about you at the end of the year, rather than the beginning of the year."

Stoops' message was the same when the Wildcats welcomed media members to Kroger Field on Aug. 3, the first day of fall camp.

"You can't pat them on the back too much, because there's too much work to be done," Stoops said. "I mean, there's just a ton of work to be done. We have a lot of work to do as a staff and the players, and there's just too much to do."

See the preseason poll in full below:

USA TODAY Sports AFCA football coaches poll for Aug. 8, 2022

  • No. 1 Alabama

  • No. 2 Ohio State

  • No. 3 Georgia

  • No. 4 Clemson

  • No. 5 Notre Dame

  • No. 6 Michigan

  • No. 7 Texas A&M

  • No. 8 Utah

  • No. 9 Oklahoma

  • No. 10 Baylor

  • No. 11 Oklahoma State

  • No. 12 Oregon

  • No. 13 NC State

  • No. 14 Michigan State

  • No. 15 Southern California

  • No. 16 Pittsburgh

  • No. 17 Miami

  • No. 18 Texas

  • No. 19 Wake Forest

  • No. 20 Wisconsin

  • No. 21 Kentucky

  • No. 22 Cincinnati

  • No. 23 Arkansas

  • No. 24 Ole Miss

  • No. 25 Houston

Others receiving votes

Iowa 248; Penn State 246; Tennessee 163; Brigham Young 152; Louisiana State 143; Auburn 98; Central Florida 55; North Carolina 34; San Diego State 25; Fresno State 21; Mississippi State 19; Florida 17; Utah State 12; Air Force 12; UCLA 10; Boise State 10; Appalachian State 10; Minnesota 6; South Carolina 5; Kansas State 4; Iowa State 3; Army 3; UL Lafayette 2; Southern Methodist 2; Purdue 2; Oregon State 2; Coastal Carolina 2; Texas-San Antonio 1; Louisville 1; Florida State 1.

Here's more Kentucky football news

The Associated Press will release its preseason college football poll on Aug. 15.

Reach recruiting and trending sports reporter Brooks Holton at bholton@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @brooksHolton.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky football cracks USA TODAY Sports preseason Coaches Poll