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South Alabama

SBC · 1-1 · power +7.5 · #96
Our numberUK -6.2 no book has priced this game

Kentucky

SEC · 1-1 (0-1 SEC) · power +14.3 · #58
Our side
MoneylineUK to win ours 68%
Projected score 23–29 USA – UK
2026-09-26 · 12:45 PM Kroger Field · Lexington, KY Early season

The books

No book has priced this game. Nothing to compare, and no ticket to build.

First recorded meeting between these programs
2025 unit ranks — last completed season, from games actually played
Run game even 22 ranks apart
South Alabama Jaguars #92 rush offense Kentucky Wildcats #114 run defense
Pass game edge South Alabama Jaguars 59 ranks
South Alabama Jaguars #127 pass offense Kentucky Wildcats #186 pass defense
Run game even 26 ranks apart
Kentucky Wildcats #190 rush offense South Alabama Jaguars #216 run defense
Pass game edge Kentucky Wildcats 48 ranks
Kentucky Wildcats #168 pass offense South Alabama Jaguars #216 pass defense
South Alabama Jaguars Run-heavy · 64% run Avg pace Kentucky Wildcats Balanced · 56% run Ball-control
Major Applewhite · 26-25 · offense-minded Mark Stoops · 75-63

Ranked by team-unit strength (rush & pass offense vs. run & pass defense) across all 265 D1 teams, not by individual players. Identity, tempo and unit strength are measured from the 2025 season.

The evidence 2025 production and power ratings · supporting the number above

Who carried each team in 2025
South Alabama Jaguars
WR Brendan Jenkins 14 rec · 197 yds · 2 TD #25 WR
RB PJ Martin 142 rush yds · 2 TD · 5 rec #59 RB
QB Bishop Davenport 450 pass yds · 3 TD · 0 INT #34 QB
K Davis Little 4 FG · 7 XP · 19 pts #39 K
Kentucky Wildcats
DL Mi'Quise Humphrey-Grace 6 tkl · 1.0 sacks · 1.5 TFL #5 DL
DB Jordan Castell 16 tkl · 1 INT #22 DB
DL Tavion Gadson 5 tkl · 1.5 sacks · 2.0 TFL #33 DL
TE Willie Rodriguez 12 rec · 97 yds · 1 TD #16 TE

Top-rated players from last season, ranked within their position across D1. A grade measures what a player produced, and no 2026 game has been played yet — so this is who produced for these programs in 2025, not a claim about who is on the field this year.

Power breakdown
TeamPowerOffDefRank
South Alabama JaguarsSBC +7.5 +5.6 +1.9 #96
Kentucky WildcatsSEC +14.3 +4.7 +9.5 #58

Def is higher = better. The projection assumes a 2.4-pt home edge (0 at neutral sites).

Where the number comes from
South Alabama offense vs Kentucky defense-3.9 pts
Kentucky offense vs South Alabama defense+2.8 pts
Travel · context onlyAway team travels 548 mi

An efficiency adjustment from season-to-date EPA and success rate applies once teams have played enough games; before then it is 0 and the number is the power rating alone.

Situational spots are shown for context, not baked in: travel, altitude and rest were tested against 6,000+ games and the power and efficiency ratings already account for them. Adding them again would double-count.