Predicting Kentucky’s 2026 Record

It’s a new era for Kentucky football as Mark Stoops is out after 13 seasons in Lexington. The Cats replaced the league’s elder statesman with the youngest coach in the SEC, 36-year-old Will Stein. A Louisville native, Stein played college football for the Cards while his father played for Jerry Claiborne and the Wildcats in the 1980s. Stein’s moved up the coaching ranks pretty quickly. He comes to Kentucky after three years as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Oregon. With a new era comes new excitement, and that’s certainly been the case for the Big Blue Nation. Now, it’s time to prove it on the field. It won’t be easy as 10 of the Wildcats’ 12 opponents are ranked in the Top 35 of the preseason AP poll. Can the Cats get back to a bowl game for the first time since 2023? Let’s go game by game we’re predicting Kentucky’s 2026 record.

Predicting Kentucky’s 2026 Record

A Good Start

September 5th- Youngstown State– UK gets their annual SEC+ plus game out of the way in the season’s first game. The Penguins come into Saturday ranked seventh in the FCS rankings. In addition, they’ve already played a game. Last Thursday they rolled up 484 yards of offense in a 43-10 win over Mercyhurst. Reigning Walter Payton Award winner Beau Brungard, the FCS equivalent of the Heisman, accounted for five touchdowns. Look for this one to stay close early before the Cats pull away in the second half.

Kentucky 42-17 UK 1-0, 0-0 SEC

Business Is Picking Up

September 12th- Alabama– Stein’s first SEC game will be no easy task when they host the Crimson Tide. Alabama leads the series 39-2 with one tie. Tim Couch led the Cats to an upset back in 1997. Could Kenny Minchey help UK shock the world again? Odds are it doesn’t happen, but the BBN can certainly dream.

Alabama 31-17 UK 1-1, 0-1 SEC

At Texas A&M- September 19th- The Cats hit the road for the first time in 2026. Mike Elko’s club is coming off a playoff berth last season. The Aggies have been in the SEC since 2012. However, they are yet to come to Lexington. That will finally happen in 2028. UK lost in College Station back in 2018. Look for a close one that the Aggies pull out late.

Texas A&M 24-17 UK 1-2, 0-2 SEC

Another Home Win

South Alabama- September 26th– The Jaguars finished the 2025 season at 4-8, playing in the Sun Belt. The second game on the schedule in which UK should be a heavy favorite. It’s also the last game before the Cats head back into conference play for the next seven games. Look for the Cats to get an easy win.

Kentucky 45-17 UK 2-2, 0-2 SEC

That wraps up the month of September for UK. As we continue predicting Kentucky’s 2026 record, let’s move to the tough slate of games in October.

Tough Road Test

At South Carolina- October 3rd- Let’s be honest, we’re going to miss the passive-aggressive back and forth between Stoops and Gamecock head man Shane Beamer. From 2000-2013 Carolina won 13 of 14 meetings. Then from 2014-2021 the Wildcats flipped the script, taking seven of eight. Unfortunately for the Big Blue Nation, it’s gone back towards the Gamecocks as they’ve won the last four. This contest gets our pick as Kentucky’s surprise road win.

Kentucky 28-24 UK 3-2, 1-2 SEC

A Visit From The Lane Train

LSU- October 10th– Arguably the biggest story of the offseason was Lane Kiffin leaving Ole Miss for Baton Rouge. These two teams used to play every year, but have only met twice since 2014. Many have the Tigers as a playoff team and that includes us here at Last Word. Especially playing at home, this seems like a game the Cats can win. However, we’re going with the Tigers here.

LSU 27-21 UK 3-3, 1-3 SEC

First Time In A Long Time

At Oklahoma- October 17th- The Wildcats and Sooners have met three times in history. The lone Kentucky win we voted the second-best in school history. UK played once in Norman all the way back in 1980. Forty-six years later, they’ll meet again. OU was a playoff team last year and many think they will be this year too. This looks like a tough day for the Cats.

Oklahoma 35-17 UK 3-4, 1-4 SEC

A New Day

Vanderbilt- October 24th-Diego Pavia is no longer in Nashville, and the rest of the SEC wonders if the Commodores can maintain their recent success without him. Blaze Berlowitz beat out Jared Curtis, the highest-rated recruit in school history, for the quarterback job. Kentucky won six straight from 2016-2021. However, Vanderbilt has won three of the last four and the last two in Lexington. Kentucky gets back on the right side of the scoreboard in this one.

Kentucky 34-21 UK 4-4, 2-4 SEC

That takes us to the Wildcats’ bye week before we finish the season. Continuing on predicting Kentucky’s 2026 record, let’s see how November plays out.

The Dreaded Orange

At Tennessee- November 7th- After the Cats won against the Vols in 2017 and 2020, Tennessee has reasserted its dominance. Currently, Jeremy Pruitt’s squad is on a five-game winning streak. Winning in Knoxville is always tough, and this year is no exception. It’s hard seeing Kentucky pulling an upset against “Rocky Top.”

Tennessee 41-24 UK 4-5, 2-5 SEC

A Familiar Face

Florida- November 14th- The Gators have a new coach who’s very familiar to Wildcat fans, in Jon Sumrall. A scheduling quirk sends Florida back to Lexington for a second straight year. We all know about the 31-game win streak the Gators had over the Wildcats. However, Kentucky’s won four of the last five and will make it five of six.

Kentucky 31-17 UK 5-5, 3-5 SEC

At this point, the Cats are only one win away from a bowl. However, the last two games are tough ones.

Columbia Times Two

At Missouri- November 21st- These former SEC East rivals met every year from 2012 to 2023 when the Tigers joined the league. However, when the SEC went to 16 teams, they haven’t played the last two years. Overall, Kentucky leads the series 8-5, but the Tigers won the last meeting back in 2023. Games between these two are always close, and this one will be no different. In the end, Mizzou pulls out the win.

Missouri 28-23 UK 5-6, 3-6 SEC

Battle For The Governor’s Cup

Louisville- November 28th- It’s a situation we’ve seen play out a few times over the years. Kentucky needs to beat Louisville to make a bowl. It’s another rivalry the Cats had dominated that’s flipped the other way. Between 2016 and 2023, UK won six of seven contests. The two schools didn’t play in 2020’s COVID year. Since taking the job in Louisville, Jeff Brohm’s Cardinals have dominated the Wildcats 82-14 over the last two years. Beating his alma mater and taking back the cup would be huge for Stein. Unfortunately, we think Brohm’s Cards are a little too strong this year.

Louisville 37-31 UK 5-7, 3-6 SEC

There you have our predictions. We have Kentucky falling just short of a bowl game at 5-7. Do you agree or disagree with our picks? We’d love to hear from you in the comment section.

That’s it for predicting Kentucky’s 2026 record here at Last Word On College Football. We’ll be back soon with a Youngstown State preview.

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