Jul 17, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Stoops talks to the media during the SEC Media Days at Omni Atlanta Hotel. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images

Kentucky football predicted to lose week one to Toledo

Originally posted on Kentucky Wildcats on SI
By Andrew Stefaniak | Last updated Aug 12, 2025 12:36 PM ET

It's no secret that there isn't a ton of hype around the 2025 Kentucky football team, and some fans are hoping for a change at head coach if things don't go well this year.

Mark Stoops and his staff seem to truly believe that the Wildcats have a good enough roster to compete in the SEC this season, but the issue is going to be the gauntlet of a schedule for the Wildcats, which will make it tough for them to overachieve.

Week one, the Wildcats take on the Toledo Rockets, and Spenser Davis of Saturday Down South
believes they have a shot to pull off the upset in Kroger Field.

Here is what Davis had to say about the Rockets upsetting the Wildcats, "We have some recent history with Toledo winning on the road in the SEC. The Rockets did just that a year ago when they upset Mississippi State in dominant fashion. Toledo has an impressive roster coming back — it ranks 13th in offensive returning production and 34th overall, per ESPN’s formula. The Wildcats bottomed out last season but were still favored in 6 games. The problem is they only won 3 of them and beat the number just twice. I’m also not a big believer in new Kentucky quarterback Zach Calzada, who hasn’t attempted an FBS pass since 2021. Toledo won last season in Starkville as a double-digit underdog, and I think it could do the same thing again in Lexington this year."

Matt Bush-Imagn Images

It's hard to pull the SEC card in this matchup, knowing this Toledo team dominated Mississippi State last season, but the Wildcats are much better than that team.

Quarterback play is going to be the difference maker for the Wildcats this season as Zach Calzada makes his return to the SEC. Per usual, the Wildcats are going to have an excellent defense, but the offense has its fair share of holes.

This Kentucky team is better than many are giving it credit, but the difficulty of the schedule makes it hard for the college football media to buy any stock in this team.

Kroger Field is going to be rocking for the start of the football season, and the Wildcats should be able to take care of business against Toledo. If the Wildcats were to lose this football game, there is a good chance that it is the beginning of the end for Stoops at Kentucky.

This article first appeared on Kentucky Wildcats on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: