ULM (3-2) at Kentucky (4-1) Oct. 11, 12:00, SEC Network

Here’s The Deal: Check out the SEC’s fun new team. No one is expecting Kentucky to win the SEC title, but after stunning South Carolina, it’s a bad call against Florida away from being 5-0 and one of the nation’s hottest teams. With a trip to LSU up next and Mississippi State to follow – the Wildcats could be the underdogs in every game the rest of the way – there’s no time to take a breather. This is a new era and, obviously, a new team, but UK has lost to ULM before. Okay, so it was 1994, and the Cats are 3-1 in the series, but all the fun of the first half of the year would be lost with an upset.

ULM already has a Power 5 win this year beating Wake Forest to start the season, but it was stomped by LSU and last week lost its conference opener to Arkansas State by 14. It’s back into Sun Belt life next week, but a second big win over a team from a top conference might be enough to get the Warhawks into a bowl if the they don’t win the conference title.

Why ULM Might Win: It’s possible to run on the Kentucky front seven. The Wildcats aren‘t getting gouged, and ULM has hit a wall over the last three weeks running the ball, but the potential is there to balance out the offense a wee bit. Veteran quarterback Pete Thomas isn’t going to be fazed by the big atmosphere or the aggressive UK defense. He might not have gotten the ball down the field against LSU, but he has just two picks on the season and he’s not making big mistakes.

Why Kentucky Might Win: Kentucky is way too efficient and way too strong right now. The ULM offense is sputtering and coughing, trying to find something that consistently works against the better teams, and it’s having a massive problem trying to keep the chains moving. One of UK’s keys has been rocking on third downs and keeping the big pass plays to a minimum. Thomas might be a strong, veteran quarterback, but the ULM starter isn’t generating enough big plays. He won’t this week.

Who To Watch Out For: Kentucky’s shifty running back, Jojo Kemp, got in a little work throughout the season, good for about eight carries a game as part of the rotation, but when the offense needed him against South Carolina, he came up big with 17 carries for 131 yards and three touchdowns, scoring on two short runs in the fourth quarter to tie the game up. He’s not built to be a workhorse, but he proved to be solid enough and dangerous enough to start getting the ball more.

What’s Going To Happen: Kentucky won’t slow down now. ULM isn’t going to embarrass itself, but it’s lack of offense is going to quickly become a big problem.

Prediction: Kentucky 38 … ULM 10
Line: Kentucky -20.5 o/u: 49
Must Watch Factor: 5: Last Week Tonight – 1: Bad Judge … 2