Spring practices are in the books and fall camps will be here before you know it so that means getting an early jump on the 2006 Ncaa football season. Knowing the teams now will save you time in August and Matt Fargo is here to help you get a grasp of what to expect this upcoming year. We go from worst to first in this 2006 College Football Preview.
#75 - Kentucky Wildcats 3-8 Su; 6-4 Ats
Georgia High School Football
Fargo's Take Kentucky is arrival off a 3-8 season in 2005 which was pretty impressive considering what the Wildcats went through. Injuries hurt the team all season long, especially on the defensive side of the ball, as Kentucky allowed 34.1 ppg which was 107th in the country and the most allowed by the Wildcats since 2000. With a salutary team, Kentucky has a opportunity to be the most improved squad in the Sec as the agenda sets up very well in its favor. The Wildcats bring back 16 starters along with numerous players who got some good sense filling in a season ago. Head coach Rich Brooks is on the hot seat once again but this could be his best team in his four years at the school barring a repeat of the injury bug that occurred last year. A winning season is more than possible and that will likely be the only thing that will save Brooks from receiving the pink slip at the end of the year.
Returning Starters on Offense - 9 The high powered offenses in Lexington have been a thing of the past the last two seasons but 2006 could reverse that downward trend. Nine starters are back including one of the best players in the consulation that most people have never heard of. Tailback Rafael minute did it all for the Wildcats last year, prominent the team in rushing and receiving while finishing 5th in the country in all-purpose yardage. He will be running behind one of the great offensive lines in the consulation as Kentucky welcomes back all five starters from last season. The biggest examine marks are at quarterback and receiver but things are not ominous. Last year's starting quarterback Andre Woodson will be pushed in the fall by sophomore Curtis Pulley, a gifted runner who took the majority of the snaps with the first team while the spring. The receiving corps is young and inexperienced but it is a very talented group and one that has the capability to make big plays with their speed.
Returning Starters on Defense - 7 The Wildcats allowed at least 43 points on five distinct occasions last season including three of their last four games. Things will be great this year mainly because Kentucky is salutary and the recruiting problems that hung over the agenda for a few years is getting back to normal. The front seven is solid as some key players are returning from injury, namely senior defensive tackle Lamar Mills. Joining him on the line is sophomore Myron Pryor who came out of spring with the top accolades of any defensive player. The secondary is led by cornerback Bo Smith, who was the Wildcats best defender in 2005 but it will be up to a lot of young players to shore up the passing defense. There are numerous playmakers on this side of the ball and if Kentucky can avoid the injuries that devastated the unit last year, it has the capability to be one of the great defenses in the Sec. Young players are going to play big roles so their maturation is needed early on.
Schedule Like any Sec team, the agenda is tough based on the compel of the consulation but the Wildcats do catch some breaks along the way. They miss Auburn, Alabama and Arkansas from the Sec West while three of their five games in the Sec East are at home (Georgia, South Carolina and Vanderbilt). Overall, Kentucky has just five road games and while four of those are sure losses against Louisville, Florida, Lsu and Tennessee, at least those games aren't taking away from some winnable home contests. Non-conference home games against Texas St., Central Michigan and La-Monroe are as sure things as possible so with some breaks going their way, the Wildcats can come out of the slate with six wins. The key game is a road game at Mississippi St. That could be the incompatibility between a losing season or one that makes them bowl eligible.
You can bet on... Kentucky is just 6-24 in its last 30 road games and it will be tested right out of the gate against rival Louisville. The Wildcats played the Cardinals very tough last season in a seven-point defeat and it wouldn't be surprising if they played them tough once again. Kentucky has posted winning Ats records in three of the last four years and this team has the opportunity to be great than all of those former editions. The linesmakers likely are not going to be giving the Wildcats much prestige early on (getting up to four touchdowns against the Cardinals in the opener) so that is where the best value could be. The home consulation opener against Mississippi could be a good spot if getting points as Kentucky was solid 4-1 against the whole last season as a home pup.
read what he said #75 Kentucky Wildcats Preview
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