A variety of markets are currently available when it comes to University of Kentucky football betting. Find Kentucky football odds below. The Wildcats (6-5) visit the Louisville Cardinals (10-1) in Rivalry Week as road underdogs. According to TheLines’ aggregate power ratings, UK has a 26.1% expected win rate. Kentucky has won the last four meetings by healthy margins, although Louisville has taken a notable step forward in 2023. The over/under for this game is set at .
Live Kentucky football odds are available to bet on below.
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Kentucky football odds
View Kentucky football odds below. Click on the price you like to bet now. Also be sure to check out the best Kentucky sports betting apps as soon as they are available in the state.
Kentucky Football National Title Odds
For at least another year, the Wildcats have an improbable path to the College Football Playoff and, thus, the National Championship. In 2024, the field expands from four to 12, where Kentucky might see a boost to their National Title odds. However, sharing a conference with Alabama, Georgia, LSU, and Tennessee makes the ‘Cats’ path one of the most difficult in the country. Currently, Kentucky has longshot odds to win the title.
Outside of the top five or so programs – Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Michigan, and Ohio State – college football teams must shock the CFP Committee into giving them a fighting chance. However, for the other 128 programs nationally, the ultimate goal is a New Year’s Six bowl berth.
Kentucky SEC Odds
Far from the favorite, Kentucky football SEC odds currently sit at according to the best NCAAF betting sites. As the conference stands today (a two-division league), the Wildcats must upend Georgia and Tennessee to even reach the SEC Championship Game, where they likely go through an Alabama or LSU to clinch the title.
While Kentucky plays the eighth-most difficult schedule in the SEC, that’s the 12th-hardest nationally. Their slate includes a game at Georgia, home dates with Alabama and Tennessee, and a non-conference finale at Louisville. Kentucky has not beaten Georgia since 2009 nor Alabama since 1997. To set a goal for an SEC championship is unrealistic for the 2023 Wildcats.
Kentucky Football Win Total
This preseason, Kentucky was lined for 7 regular season wins in 2023. Our preseason numbers averaged 7.0 wins, in-step with what sportsbooks line them for.
Wildcats Roster
After a letdown of a 2022 season, Kentucky has some spots to fill. They hit the transfer portal to find their next QB to replace Levis, NC State’s Devin Leary. Leary missed most of last year with an injury and played in a conservative system; he’s a talented QB who may work well with Coen. Kentucky also looks to replace 1,000-yard rusher Chris Rodriguez. They re-work almost their entire secondary and defensive front seven, but bolster the depth with plenty of transfer help.
Who is the Kentucky football head coach?
Mark Stoops enters his 11th season as the Kentucky head football coach. He has a 66-59 record (.528), is the longest-tenured coach in Kentucky football history, and is generally regarded as one of the best to coach in Lexington. He won the 2018 SEC Coach of the Year award.
Who is the QB for Kentucky football?
Devin Leary starts at quarterback for Kentucky in 2023. The NC State transfer threw for over 3,400 yards, 35 touchdowns, and just five interceptions in his last full season (2021). Leary was the second-ranked QB transfer of this offseason, per 247Sports and On3.
Projected offense
Returning starters in bold
Transfers in italics
- QB: Devin Leary
- RB: Ray Davis
- WR: Tayvion Robinson
- WR: Dane Key
- WR: Barion Brown
- TE: Jordan Dingle
- OT: Marques Cox
- OG: Kenneth Horsey
- C: Jager Burton
- OG: Eli Cox
- OT: Courtland Ford
Projected defense
Returning starters in bold
Transfers in italics
- DL: Kahlil Saunders
- DL: Josiah Hayes
- DL: Deone Walker
- JACK: JJ Weaver
- LB: Trevin Wallace
- LB: D’Eryk Jackson
- LB: Alex Afari Jr.
- CB: Andru Phillips
- CB: Jonquis Hardaway
- SAF: Zion Childress
- SAF: Jordan Lovett
Wildcats Football Schedule 2023
Kick times below are in ET.
| Date | Opponent | Time | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9/2 | Ball State | 12:00 p.m. | UK -26 |
| 9/9 | Eastern Kentucky (FCS) | 3:00 p.m. | UK -31.5 |
| 9/16 | Akron | 7:30 p.m. | UK -25.5 |
| 9/23 | at Vanderbilt | 12:00 p.m. | UK -13.5 |
| 9/30 | Florida | 12:00 p.m. | UK -3.5 |
| 10/7 | at Georgia | 7:00 p.m. | UGA -14.5 |
| 10/14 | Missouri | TBA | |
| 10/21 | BYE | ||
| 10/28 | Tennessee | TBA | |
| 11/4 | at Mississippi State | TBA | |
| 11/11 | Alabama | TBA | |
| 11/18 | at South Carolina | TBA | |
| 11/25 | at Louisville | TBA |
University of Kentucky FB props
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How to bet on the Wildcats
Moneyline
The moneyline is the simplest bet, where a bettor picks a straight-up winner for the game. Consider the following example:
- Kentucky -215
- Vanderbilt +195
Kentucky is a sizable favorite over Vanderbilt, indicated by -215; on the moneyline, favored teams are indicated with minus numbers while underdogs are noted with a plus. In order to return $100 with a bet on Kentucky, a bettor would need to lay $215. Conversely, a successful $100 bet on Vanderbilt would win $195. In all successful bets, the initial offering is also returned.
Point spread
Betting on the point spread takes things one step further – rather than picking a winner, a point spread indicates by how much a team wins or loses by. For example:
- Kentucky +15 (-110)
- Georgia -15 (-110)
The Wildcats are underdogs by 15 points (once again indicated by a plus sign) over the Bulldogs. In order for a bet on Kentucky +15 to win, UK would need to win the game or lose by less than 15 points. A successful bet on Georgia would require the Gators to win by more than 15 points. If Georgia wins by exactly 15, the bet is a push and refunded. The number in parentheses is the price of the spread. To win $100 on either side, a bettor would need to risk $110.
Point total (over/under)
The point total (or “over/under”) refers to the total number of points scored between two teams in a given game. For example, if Kentucky’s game against Mississippi State has a point total set at 58, the Wildcats and Bulldogs would need to combine for 58 points, regardless of a winner. So, if Mississippi State beats Kentucky 40-21, the over would hit. Should Kentucky win 31-17, the under would hit.
Should the two teams combine for exactly 58 points, say 38-20, the bet would be referred to as a “push” and all the initial wagers would be returned.
Like with point spreads, the price on either side typically comes out to -110, requiring a $110 bet to win $100.
In-play and live betting
All of the above betting options are available in two forms: pre-live (before the game starts) or during the game. The latter are referred to as live bets or in-play bets. Live betting presents both unique challenges and opportunities for bettors not found in pre-live bets.
Odds are ever-changing during contests, which can create inefficient markets for sharp bettors. For example, say Kentucky was a -3.5 favorite over Louisville before the game started. After Louisville returned the opening kickoff for a TD and a UK drive stalled at the four-yard-line, the Wildcats fell to a +2 underdog after one quarter. However, the offense was moving the ball at an efficient clip and the Louisville offense wasn’t playing very well. Keen bettors would use this opportunity to bet Kentucky live – be it on the point spread or moneyline.
Be wary, though, as sportsbooks have more up-to-date information than bettors. They bypass tape delays and install “review periods” for bets to ensure they’re a step ahead. If a spread suddenly shifts by four points, it’s not likely an error on the book’s part, rather, a big play is inbound.
Parlays and teasers
The act of stringing multiple bets together can come in the form of parlays or teasers. A parlay is combining any two or more bets to get better odds, on the stipulation that all bets in the parlay are successful. For example, pairing Kentucky -215 with, say, Tennessee -190 may result in +152 odds – better than either individual bet. Parlays also lower the breakeven rate on the parlay themselves – often an enticing move for bettors – but at the expense of requiring a higher breakeven rate on each leg.
Teaser betting refers to buying or selling points on a point spread. In football, six-point teasers are the most common. Take the following two-game example:
- Kentucky +2.5 (-110) vs. Missouri
- Ole Miss +2 (-105) vs. Arkansas
A six-point teaser for these two games would result in Kentucky now being a +8.5 underdog and Ole Miss a +8 one. Teasers require at least two point spreads combined, commonly resulting in a -120 price, regardless of the juice on the original spread. A bet must now require Kentucky to lose by eight points or fewer (or two win outright) and Ole Miss to lose by seven or fewer (or win outright).
Kentucky Football FAQ
Kentucky has one claimed national title, in 1950, when Bear Bryant and the Wildcats beat Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl, 13-7.
Before the BCS era began in 1998, national championships were either awarded by the Associated Press or claimed by teams. “Claimed” and “unclaimed” national titles are far less common today thanks to the implementation of de facto championship games.
Kentucky has won two SEC Championships – in 1950 and 1976. The ’76 title is shared with Georgia.
Our preseason power ratings place Kentucky 22nd nationally and eighth in the SEC. Liam Coen re-joining Kentucky as offensive coordinator and the addition of QB Devin Leary via the transfer portal gives Kentucky a potentially exciting offense. However, they must replace seven defensive starters on a unit that was their best for the past two seasons.
Kentucky finished the 2022 season with a 7-6 record. They finished fourth in the SEC East with a 3-5 conference record and lost the Music City Bowl to Iowa, 21-0.