LAST TOP 25 RANKING FOR U.K.

[dosscat]

When was the last time UK football held a TOP 25 rank?

[johnkyblue]

I believe Kentucky made it into the 'others recieving votes' in 1999, 1998, and 1993. I don't think Kentucky was in the top 25 any of those years. In 1984, Kentucky finished ranked 19th in the AP.

[The Old School JPS]

UK was briefly at #25 in the CNN/USA Today poll early in the 1998 season.

UK's last finish in the polls was #19 at the end of the 1984 season.

[FatCatDaddy]

If we beat Clemson, think we will finish in the top 25 in any polls that release thier final one after the beginning of the year?

[johnkyblue]

Currently, all of the top 25, besides Nebraska, has 9 wins. I do believe that we would take Clemson's 'others recieving votes' though. By asking this question though, you have me already looking forward to the pre-season mags. If I were to guess, we would be on several top 25's then with Little, Woodson, and Woodyard back.

[poodoo]

The Old School JPS wrote: UK was briefly at #25 in the CNN/USA Today poll early in the 1998 season.

UK's last finish in the polls was #19 at the end of the 1984 season.

Hmmm. That's the same year that we last WON a bowl game. :)While I would love for the Cats to be ranked, I'll take making history by winning the game. :DGO CATS!

[The Old School JPS]

I think it's pretty unlikely UK would end up in the Top 25. Even if the SEC romps in all of its bowl games, including the Music City, Georgia and South Carolina would probably be in line ahead of UK and I'm not sure that among Wake Forest, Rutgers, Brigham Young, California, Texas A&M, Nebraska, Boston College, Oregon State, TCU, Georgia Tech, Hawaii, Houston, Penn State, Maryland, South Florida, Navy and UCLA that enough teams would move far enough down to let UK into the rankings. As John pointed out, everyone in the Top 25 now has at least 9 wins - more than UK would have even with a bowl win.

A big win in the bowl and a really strong showing by the SEC in its bowl games would probably get UK into the lower end of the "also receiving votes" category though. 7 SEC teams are currently getting votes; it would take a very solid showing in bowls by the conference to change that to 8 IMO, though I could see UK and USC swapping places in the 'also getting votes' category should UK win and USC lose their bowl. UK's best shot at getting into the Top 25 might include everyone in the SEC winning their bowl games except for South Carolina and perhaps even Georgia.

I don't see UK getting on any preseason Top 25 lists but if the defense were to turn in a solid performance, that might bode well for UK getting picked for 3rd or 4th in the East next year by a few writers or mags.


poodoo wrote: The Old School JPS wrote: UK was briefly at #25 in the CNN/USA Today poll early in the 1998 season.

UK's last finish in the polls was #19 at the end of the 1984 season.

Hmmm. That's the same year that we last WON a bowl game. :)While I would love for the Cats to be ranked, I'll take making history by winning the game. :DGO CATS!
That 1984 game is a great memory, but if it were to be watered down a bit by a win this year, no one would complain, right?

22 years since our last bowl win . . . I guess we do have something in common with Notre Dame! ;)

[kyjones]

That was a great 1984 win against a very, very good Wisconsin team. I forget the number, but there were several Wisconsin players taken in the first round of the NFL draft that year.

Of course we were at the same bowl the year before.......but's a different story.

[The Old School JPS]

kyjones wrote: That was a great 1984 win against a very, very good Wisconsin team. I forget the number, but there were several Wisconsin players taken in the first round of the NFL draft that year.

Of course we were at the same bowl the year before.......but's a different story.


Wisconsin WR Al Toon was the #10 overall draft pick that year. He went to the Pro Bowl three times in spite of his career being cut short at age 29 by suffering nine concussions. (He still has problems from them today.)

Wisconsin had a CB (Richard Johnson) go at #11 right behind Toon. That alone is pretty impressive. But they also had a DE (Darryl Simms) go at #20 in the first round also. They also had a tackle go in the second round (Scott Bergold at #51) and two centers both go in the 4th round (Dan Turk at #101, Jeff Dellenbach at #111). RB Gary Ellerson went in the 7th round (#182) as did OT Kevin Belcher (#186). 3 other Badgers went in later rounds. That's 12 seniors alone (and 4 offensive linemen) drafted off that team, 9 of them in the first 7 rounds and 3 in the first round.

They had one player, an offensive lineman in the 6th round, in the next draft.

The first pick of the 2nd round (#29 overall) was a cornerback who was a sophomore on that Wisconsin team (Nathaniel Odomes); LB Rick Graf also went in that second round and LB Tim Jordan went in the 4th. Another LB went in the 7th round in that draft and 2 RBs, an LB and a DB also went in that draft from Wisconsin.

Paul Gruber, a freshman on that Wisconsin team, was taken with the #4 overall draft pick his year. The Bengals took him ahead of Sterling Sharpe, Tim Brown, Keith Jackson, Anthony Miller, Michael Irvin, Ickey Woods, Thurman Thomas, Ken Norton, Dermontti Dawson and others, but that's a (recurring) topic for another team's message board. 2 OLs, a QB and a WR also went in that draft from Wisconsin.

So, that Wisconsin team had:

4 1st round picks
3 2nd round picks
14 players in the first 7 draft rounds
26 players total drafted

In contrast, Kentucky had:

1 in the 1st round
1 in the 2nd round
6 in the first 7 rounds
13 total

For old times' sake, here are the drafted Wildcats from that team - lots of good names in there, players worth a lot of fond but old memories:

1985
1st round, RB George Adams
5th round, LB Cam Jacobs
10th round, TE Oliver White
11th round, DT Jeff Smith

1986
8th round, DB Maurice Douglass
10th round, DE Jon Dumbauld

1987
5th round, RB Mark Logan
5th round, DB Tony Mayes
12th round, QB Bill Ransdell

1988
2nd round, C Dermontti Dawson
5th round, DE Jerry Reese
8th round, RB Mark Higgs
12th round, G Greg Kunkel