Kentucky football checked in at No. 6 in the first College Football Playoff rankings of the 2026 season last week. Four days later, however, the Wildcats dropped their road contest in Knoxville to then-No. 13 Tennessee.

While the road to the Playoff is still within reach for Will Stein and his team, two losses make the margin for error much slimmer. The remaining schedule doesn't help, either.

Kentucky will get back to Kroger Field on Saturday, Nov. 14, where it will host Florida and its first-year head coach Jon Sumrall (a former UK player and assistant coach). The Cats will then play their final road game at Missouri before heading home to host Louisville for the Governor's Cup.

After falling to the Volunteers, 34-6, Kentucky will certainly see its ranking take a hit, but how far will it drop?

The national media has a mixed opinion when it comes to what it thinks of the Wildcats.

Yahoo Sports' Nick Bromberg has Kentucky falling out of the top 12, while Brad Crawford of 247Sports has the Wildcats sitting at No. 10 to set up a theoretical first-round matchup at No. 7 Texas. ESPN's Heather Dinich also has Kentucky at No. 10, where it would face reigning national champion Indiana in Bloomington.

While Kentucky fell to 13th in both the US LBM Football Coaches Poll and AP Top 25 after the Tennessee loss, it seems more likely to maintain a top-12 position in the CFP rankings. The Wildcats checking in at No. 10 or No. 11 seem to be likely given what other teams around them did this past week.

In order to keep its playoff hopes alive, however, Kentucky can hardly afford another loss.