What's Kentucky's biggest football game in 2016?
What's Kentucky's biggest football game in 2016?
Months from now we'll all look back and have the perspective that only hindsight provides.
But from where things stand now, what's the game that the most hinges on?
Here are some of the choices.
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Southern Miss at Kentucky, Sept. 3, Lexington, Ky.
The first game of a team's season can sometimes be written off. Offenses are sloppier than they'll be later in the year. Young players are just getting their feet wet. Coordinators are feeling out their team and their opponents to find an identity.
But this year it sure seems like the Cats' season opener, against the Golden Eagles, is especially important.
Southern Miss could have a quality team this year and they're certainly a better program than some of the other mid-majors that have graced Commonwealth Stadium in modern times. The game might not be a cakewalk.
If the Cats cruise to a big win over Southern Miss (with new offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson) it could be big for quarterback Drew Barker's confidence and it might set the tone for a big year. If Kentucky were to lose that game then the overall forecast for the season would plummet.
Kentucky fans know the agony of losing such a game (see: WKU).
South Carolina at Kentucky, Sept. 24, Lexington, Ky.
Not long ago it might have seemed impossible for Kentucky to be in this position. The Cats have a chance to win their third-straight game over the Gamecocks. Theirs is a program that won 11 games for three consecutive seasons in the recent past, but the failed end of the Steve Spurrier era has given birth to Will Muschamp's reign.
This game could be a tone-setter for Kentucky against Muschamp's Gamecocks, but more important than that (and more important than a winning streak against South Carolina) is the fact that this is a winnable home game in the SEC East.
To reach bowl eligibility Kentucky needs to win as many of these games as possible. Lose this game or any of these on this list and the postseason is still possible, but it would make the path much more difficult.
Vanderbilt at Kentucky, Oct. 8, Lexington, Ky.
When James Franklin left Nashville for Happy Valley it was seen as a huge plus for Kentucky's football program. For all its difficulties over the years Kentucky always benefited from an annual match up with the lowly Commodores. Franklin had turned the series into a bit of a nightmare.
Last year the loss to Vanderbilt in Derek Mason's second year was a crushing blow for a Kentucky team that finished 5-7. That loss ultimately meant that wins against South Carolina and Missouri were squandered, and it was a loss that should have been avoided because the defense played well enough to pitch a shutout.
This year's game against the Commodores could once again determine Kentucky's chances at a bowl game, this time in Mark Stoops' fourth year.
Mississippi State at Kentucky, Oct. 22, Lexington, Ky.
Kentucky is winless against the Bulldogs with Dan Mullen as the head man in Starkville and this could be their best chance for a win in quite some time.
Why?
Because the game is in Lexington and because the Bulldogs will be without the best quarterback in their history. Mississippi State has never exactly been a quarterback hotspot but Dak Prescott was smooth, steady and spectacular in his time in Starkville.
It won't be easy dealing with Mullen's Mississippi State even minus Prescott, because they're sure to once again be physically tough and fundamentally sound (and good on defense). But Kentucky gets a bye week and if they win a few of the games mentioned above then this game could take on major importance.
Kentucky at Missouri, Oct. 29, Columbia, Mo.
The Wildcats beat the Tigers in Gary Pinkel's last season in Columbia. It's the dawn of a new era at Missouri with the arrival of new coach Barry Odom.
Missouri's offense was a train wreck last season. Gone is Maty Mauk but former top recruit Drew Lock returns for his sophomore season.
If Missouri's offense doesn't improve then Kentucky is probably the favorite in this game. Either way, the Tigers should once again play quality defense and will be tough to score on.
Winning their second straight game in this series would be big for the UK program, because to climb the SEC ladder the Cats have to set their sights on surpassing Missouri, Vanderbilt and South Carolina in the East.