Kentucky's 43-37 triple-overtime win vaulted the Wildcats to #8 in the Associated Press College Football Poll, and even better news -- #7 in the first BCS Standings released Sunday. Both LSU and South Carolina are ranked ahead of the Wildcats in the BCS Standings, which means one of them would have to drop past Kentucky in order for UK to play in a BCS Bowl. Rules state no more than two teams from one conference can play in the BCS Bowls.
Despite UK's jump in the AP Poll (voted by media), the coaches only voted them 13th this week. Keep two things in mind. One, the USA Today Coaches Poll is a determining poll in the BCS Standings, as well as several others.
Two, here is a list of the coaches who vote in the poll.
The USA TODAY Board of Coaches is made up of 60 head coaches at Division I-A institutions. All are members of the American Football Coaches Association. This season's board: Frank Beamer, Virginia Tech; Mike Bellotti, Oregon; Bret Bielema, Wisconsin; Larry Blakeney, Troy; Bobby Bowden, Florida State; Tommy Bowden, Clemson; Jeff Bower, Southern Mississippi; Art Briles, Houston; Mack Brown, Texas; Bill Callahan, Nebraska; Neil Callaway, UAB; Lloyd Carr, Michigan; Mario Cristobal, Florida International; Sylvester Croom, Mississippi State; Bill Cubit, Western Michigan; Mark Dantonio, Michigan State; Butch Davis, North Carolina; Bill Doba, Washington State; Randy Edsall, Connecticut; Dennis Franchione, Texas A&M; Phillip Fulmer, Tennessee; Jeff Genyk, Eastern Michigan; Joe Glenn, Wyoming; Jim Grobe, Wake Forest; Dan Hawkins, Colorado; Pat Hill, Fresno State; Steve Kragthorpe, Louisville; Mike Leach, Texas Tech; Rocky Long, New Mexico; Sonny Lubick, Colorado State; Bill Lynch, Indiana; Doug Martin, Kent State; Les Miles, LSU; Shane Montgomery, Miami (Ohio); Hal Mumme, New Mexico State; Joe Novak, Northern Illinois; Houston Nutt, Arkansas; Tom O'Brien, North Carolina State; George O'Leary, Central Florida; Gary Patterson, TCU; Chris Petersen, Boise State; Mark Richt, Georgia; Mike Riley, Oregon State; Rich Rodriguez, West Virginia; Greg Schiano, Rutgers; Howard Schnellenberger, Florida Atlantic; Mark Snyder, Marshall; Frank Solich, Ohio; Steve Spurrier, South Carolina; Rick Stockstill, Middle Tennessee State; Bob Stoops, Oklahoma; Jeff Tedford, California; Joe Tiller, Purdue; Bob Toledo, Tulane; Dick Tomey, San Jose State; Jim Tressel, Ohio State; Tommy Tuberville, Auburn; Charlie Weis, Notre Dame; Tyrone Willingham, Washington; Ron Zook, Illinois
Now, why are the bolded names significant? Bowden, Kragthorpe, Nutt, and Miles have been "upset" by the Wildcats in the past 10 months. Upsets sting a little more than normal losses.
Fulmer, Richt, and Tuberville coach SEC teams that are behind the Wildcats in the BCS Rankings.
Steve Spurrier is just Steve Spurrier. Who knows? Maybe his ballot said South Carolina #1 and Kentucky #2. Highly unlikely.
Hal Mumme? You think he's going to help out ole' UK?
It should also be noted that two UK alums -- Mike Leach of Texas Tech and Howard Schnellenberger of Florida Atlantic -- also vote in the poll.
I don't know how any of these coaches voted this week. I do know many of them ranked the Wildcats five spots lower than the AP did. Only Virginia, ranked #19 in the coaches' poll and unranked by the AP, has a larger difference between the polls than UK.
CLICK HERE TO SEE ALL THREE RANKINGS, PLUS THE ESPN FAN POLL.
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