CBS ranked every team in college football, and Kentucky landed outside the Top 50

Outside of baseball season, the middle of May is a slow time in college athletics. It’s when you will find a lot of way-too-early rankings on the internet, like over at CBSSports.com, where today you’ll see a new ranking of every team in college football.

The author, Chip Patterson, revealed the CBS Sports 138, ranking every FBS team after spring football. Ohio State claimed its No. 1 spot, followed by Texas, Oregon, Notre Dame, and Georgia, rounding out the top five.

Other notable teams in the Top 25 are defending champ Indiana (6th), Texas A&M (8th), Oklahoma (10th), Alabama (11th), LSU (13th), Tennessee (17th), Missouri (21st), Louisville (24th), and Florida (25th). Kentucky will play all those teams except the Hoosiers, meaning seven of Kentucky’s opponents are considered preseason Top 25 on this list.

Kentucky outside the Top 50

You’ll have to scroll a little further down the list to find the Kentucky Wildcats. CBS slotted Kentucky at No. 58 in its post-spring 138. Only Arkansas is further down from the SEC, three spots behind UK at 62nd.

Kentucky is one place behind Mississippi State (57th).

SEC in the CBS 138

2. Texas
5. Georgia
8. Texas A&M
10. Oklahoma
11. Alabama
12. Ole Miss
13. LSU
17. Tennessee
21. Missouri
25. Florida
31. Vanderbilt
32. South Carolina
36. Auburn
57. Mississippi State
58. Kentucky
62. Arkansas

[CBS 138 Rankings]

SEC Overreactions

Also from CBS’s offseason college football coverage, post-spring overreactions for each of the 16 SEC teams. In that one, Brad Crawford “examined the offseason buzz” and decided that Will Stein’s approach to playmaking and scoring points could produce immediately.

KENTUCKY

Will Stein faces a steeper climb than all other SEC coaches: Wrong. His arrival brings a much-needed schematic jolt that could translate into immediate offensive flash, even in Year 1. Stein’s background is rooted in modern spacing concepts, tempo variation, and quarterback-friendly reads that prioritize efficiency over complexity — exactly the kind of system that can produce early returns when paired with playmakers within a top-15 transfer portal class.

[Read more]