College Football Playoff Projections: Where do the Kentucky Wildcats stand after lopsided loss vs. Vols?

Kentucky Football‘s performance Saturday night in Knoxville was nothing short of utterly disappointing. With the stage set and coming off a bye week, the Cats struggled to execute on both sides of the ball, most notably on offense, and the Tennessee Volunteers took full advantage of it.

Not finding the end zone a single time was an outcome I don’t think any UK fan anticipated before kickoff at Neyland Stadium, in front of more than 100,000 rabid Vols supporters. Both teams tallied over 300 yards of total offense, but it was Kenny Minchey and the Cats who were unfortunately destroyed in the turnover battle, and that was the story of the game.

It was an infinitely frustrating contest. Despite the score being close for much of the night, it never felt like Will Stein’s squad, for whatever reason, had the juice needed to top the Vols.

Anyone with a rationale bone in their body woke up on Sunday morning embracing the fact that Kentucky football is still in the midst of one of the greatest seasons in program history. Furthermore, despite the undoubted drop in ranking, there remains a ton to play for with three regular season games remaining.

So, what are the analysts saying after Kentucky’s record worsens to 7-2?

Here’s a look at where various analysts have Kentucky in their updated College Football Playoff Rankings.

College Football Playoff Projections Roundup

USA Today #12. They noted that it wasn’t a good idea for the Cats to poke the Tennessee bear before dropping them to #12 in their updated rankings.

CBS Sports #10. Kentucky was punished by being pushed down four spots to #10, still firmly in the CFP.

ESPN’s Heather Dinich: #10. Dinich had Kentucky at #10 in her latest rankings. However, a separate article at the worldwide leader has 12 other analysts all projecting Kentucky to not be in the final top 12 of the CFP.

Sports Illustrated’s Bryan Fisher: #11. SI had been very high on Stein and the Cats but now have them slated to play #6 Notre Dame in the first round of the CFP.

Yahoo Sports. Projected to miss the College Football Playoff. Ouch.

The Athletic did things a little differently and gives teams a percentage chance to secure a certain seed in the CFP. The Cats are given a 26% chance to make the CFP.

Bottom line, with games left against #24 Florida, #18 Missouri, and their biggest rival Louisville, there is no reason to pack things up after the poor performance at Tennessee.