Tennessee football or Georgia in SEC Power Rankings after Week 9 of 2022?
![Players congregate after the NCAA football match between Tennessee and Kentucky in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022.Tennesseevskentucky1029 4175 Players congregate after the NCAA football match between Tennessee and Kentucky in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022.Tennesseevskentucky1029 4175](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/12324a7214c14e538ea12435e664cd77a4b85a2c03f9c503814d8e4027f67cba.jpg)
7. team. 833. . 5-3 (2-3). Previous: . Wildcats
Lost to Tennessee Volunteers 44-6
Just like Florida and Mississippi State, Kentucky actually hit a par. Losing to Tennessee football these days in blowout fashion is the equivalent of hitting that par. However, movement among other schools wasn’t enough to improve their standings in our SEC Power Rankings with that par, so they remain here.
One thing that is concerning about Kentucky is the fact that they looked this bad off a bye. Mark Stoops’ team was much healthier, particularly at quarterback with Will Levis, but it had no bearing on this one. They looked awful except for one drive early in the first half.
What helped them, to be fair, was being able to move ahead of South Carolina by South Carolina losing. Kentucky’s loss to them was a fluke, as they didn’t have Levis, so even in a 44-6 loss on the road to the Vols, they didn’t have as bad of a weekend as S.C. did losing to Mizzou.
This is still a top 25-caliber team, despite being unranked, and with Tennessee football in the books, they have a chance to get back there. Up next is a trip to Mizzou and a visit from Vanderbilt, which should assure them seven wins. They do host Georgia, but that game could be intriguing, and the Louisville Cardinals at home to close out the year should guarantee eight wins.