If you ask the voting media members at SEC media days, Kentucky is expected to finish fifth in the SEC East behind Georgia, South Carolina, Florida, and Missouri. With just 874 votes total, only one individual picked the Cats to win the SEC East outright.
ESPN has Kentucky as the fourth-best team in their division behind Georgia, South Carolina, and Florida. Matt Murschel, a college insider for the Orlando Sentinel, lists the Cats at No. 69 overall in the preseason 2018 college football rankings. USA Today lists Kentucky at No. 73, behind the likes of Appalachian State, Southern Miss, Middle Tennessee, Temple, and Northern Illinois, among others.