Should Kentucky football be concerned with making a Bowl Game after the 1-2 start?

Will Kentucky make a Bowl Game with their brutal 2024 schedule?

Sep 7, 2024; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Stoops walks off the field after the game against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Kroger Field. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images / Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

The Kentucky Wildcats are coming off a heartbreaking loss to the Georgia Bulldogs at home, and Mark Stoops's team has officially started the season 1-2.

Big Blue Nation should be proud of the way this team fought against, at the time, #1 Georgia, but the 1-2 start could make it challenging for the Wildcats to make a Bowl Game. According to ESPN's FPI metrics, the Wildcats have a 33.5% chance of making a bowl game this season. Kentucky still has to play #5 Ole Miss, #6 Tennessee, and #1 Texas all on the road. That then leaves games against #19 Louisville, Auburn, Vanderbilt, and Florida to decide if the Wildcats make a bowl game. Kentucky is capable of beating all four of these teams, but if they go 2-2 in these games, the Wildcats will not make a bowl game.

Kentucky losing to South Carolina at home was killer as this was a win the Wildcats really needed to put themselves in an excellent spot to make a bowl game with the brutal schedule.

Coach Stoops's team can't make any mistakes down the stretch of the season, or this team could see its season end early. The Wildcats don't want to see the consecutive bowl game stretch end this season. To ensure this doesn't happen, Kentucky needs to go 3-1 or 4-0 against Louisville, Auburn, Florida, and Vandy. The Wildcats are more than capable of doing this, but this program loves to shoot itself in the foot. That can't happen in these four football games.