Kentucky jumps into AP Top 25 following win over South Alabama

Welcome to life in the top 25, Will Stein. Just one month into his head coaching career, the 37-year-old has Kentucky ranked in the latest AP Poll following the Wildcats’ 45-21 victory over South Alabama and 3-1 start as a team. UK checked in just outside the top 25 last week, earning 98 votes for No. 27 overall. This time, the Cats got more than enough to squeak in, thanks to major movement ahead of the blue and white. Kentucky sits at No. 24 overall, good for ninth in the SEC. Texas (No. 1), Georgia (No. 2), Alabama (No. 7), Florida (No. 8), Ole Miss (No. 9), LSU (No. 11), Mississippi State (No. 16) and Tennessee (No. 17) are ahead of the Wildcats. It’s the first time UK has been ranked inside the AP Top 25 since October of 2024—quite the wait for Big Blue Nation, but one that is paying off with Stein leading the program. Take a look at the latest update: AP Poll Top 25 (Sept. 27) Texas Georgia Notre Dame Miami (FL) (+2) Ohio State (+2) Indiana (-1) Alabama (+1) Florida (+13) Ole Miss (-5) BYU (-1) LSU (-1) Texas Tech (-1) Utah (+2) Iowa (+3) Oregon (+5) Mississippi State (+8) Tennessee (-3) USC (-6) Oklahoma State (+11) Houston (+5) SMU (+1) Boise State (+9) UCLA (+14) Kentucky (+3) Missouri (-6) Others Receiving Votes: Wisconsin 102, Duke 101, Penn State 98, Wake Forest 88, Virginia Tech 86, Michigan 54, Pittsburgh 52, Nebraska 36, Louisville 25, Cincinnati 20, James Madison 10, Arizona 8, Minnesota 7, North Dakota State 6, Northwestern 1 The jump into the AP Top 25 comes shortly after the Wildcats fell just short of ranked status in the latest Coaches Poll. They came in at No. 27 overall, similar to their spot in the AP Poll this time last week. RankTeamRecordPTS1stPrevChgHi/Lo1Texas4-01779451–1/42Georgia4-01735172–2/33Notre Dame4-0164133–3/54Miami4-015690514/75Indiana4-015548414/66Ohio State3-114630711/77Alabama4-013990817/128Florida4-01214022148/NR9BYU3-0116609–9/1510Texas Tech4-01108010–10/1311LSU3-11097011–7/1312Ole Miss3-110210666/1213Utah4-0917015213/2114Iowa4-0887017314/2215Oregon3-186601612/1816Mississippi State4-06580NR1116/NR17Tennessee3-1648013413/1818USC4-1511012611/1819SMU3-1327025616/2520Houston3-13010NR620/NR21Duke4-02300NR721/NR22Penn State3-1207014814/2223UCLA4-01830NR1423/NR24Michigan3-1166018616/2425Missouri3-1152021421/25 Schools Dropped Out No. 19 Louisville; No. 20 Texas A&M; No. 23 Washington; No. 24 Oklahoma; Others Receiving Votes Oklahoma State 126; Kentucky 123; Boise State 112; Pittsburgh 97; Virginia Tech 84; Nebraska 67; Wake Forest 48; Louisville 42; Wisconsin 39; Cincinnati 35; Auburn 22; Washington 20; James Madison 17; Virginia 15; Texas A&M 14; Northwestern 12; North Dakota State 11; Massachusetts 9; New Mexico 7; Minnesota 7; Oklahoma 6; Clemson 5; Arizona 3; Western Michigan 2; UTSA 2; West Virginia 1; There will be zero doubt for Kentucky in any of the polls if it can take care of business in Columbia next week. Move to 4-1 and the Wildcats will be flirting with top-20 status going into a massive home battle vs. LSU.