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Posted at 11:00 AM EST.

3:30 PM EST. Tennessee won but did not cover last week as a 22-point favorite over Charlotte. Hell, the Volunteers didn't even score 22-points in that 14-3 victory and their backers never really had a shot to cash but we're not going not going to be so critical, as those non-conference games in the middle of the conference slate are more like a glorified practice. As inept as the Volunteer offense appeared against the 49ers, they are capable of putting up points, as they showed in a 27-24 loss but cover against South Carolina and their 30-24 win over Auburn.

We have to wonder what UK's mindset is going to be in this one, as they suffered a devastating loss last week against Georgia that knocked them out of a chance to win the SEC East and face Alabama in that conference championship game. It's not like the egg that the Wildcats laid last week to the Bulldogs wasn't coming either, as they barely snuck by both Mizzou (15-14) and Vandy (14-7), while also losing to the Aggies (20-14) over the last month. Mark Stoops won't get to end his tenure as Kentucky coach voluntarily like Rich Brooks did, but two aspects of his time in Lexington will stand out as parallels to the Brooks era. Stoops will leave Kentucky better than he found it, and he won't be able to fashion a relevant SEC contender.

Stoops has done wonders for the program on the recruiting, fundraising and facility-building fronts, but Kentucky has natural disadvantages that have cemented its historical place in the league pecking order. The program is still in the phase where it wildly celebrates rare wins over rebuilding league bullies and that is nowhere near contending. Don't get carried away thinking that this 2018 Kentucky team is different because of some lucky victories over some teams who didn't offer SEC-caliber resistance. Stoops has amply demonstrated that however much he's raised the talent level -- and therefore the bar for Kentucky's A-game -- he can't get his team to play consistently enough week after week to be a factor in the SEC race. Stoops' Wildcats will always be prone to weeks where poor weekday practices and gaffe-filled Saturdays prevail. The SEC East is weak and Kentucky almost emerged from the division with a gaudy record yet largely as a fraud. That dream is over and the Wildcats gets exposed again. Wrong side is favored.

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