Kentucky looks to put Bo Nix and Auburn on upset alert

Auburn football has a formidable challenger in Kentucky football Saturday.

The gap between Auburn football and Kentucky football may not be as vast as you think.

The Auburn Tigers open their 2020 college football season as the No. 8 team in the land. They are one of eight ranked teams in the SEC and just so happen to play their first game of the year against another ranked team in the No. 23 Kentucky Wildcats. Though Auburn should be able to survive and advance in its SEC opener, it’ll take a great game out of quarterback Bo Nix to do so.

Saturday is Bo Nix’s first opportunity to build off a solid freshman season.

As a true freshman a year ago, Nix beat out Joey Gatewood, who is now with Kentucky, to be the Auburn starting quarterback. The Auburn legacy certainly held his own in 13 games, as he completed 57.6 percent of his passes for 2,542 yards, 16 touchdowns and only six interceptions. Auburn went 9-4 overall last year and 5-3 in SEC play, including a home victory in the Iron Bowl.

Nix earned a spot on the SEC Coaches’ Preseason All-Third Team with only the Florida Gators’ Kyle Trask and the Texas A&M Aggies’ Kellen Mond ahead of him. He edged out the likes of Myles Brennan of the LSU Tigers, Mac Jones of the Alabama Crimson Tide and John Rhys Plumlee of the Ole Miss Rebels. Along with fellow captain Big Kat Bryant, Auburn has a shot to win the SEC.

And that’s kind of where the SEC pecking order currently resides. Auburn is viewed as a top-six team in the conference, but probably no better than fourth of fifth in you’re really pulling teeth. Alabama, Florida and Georgia are clearly ahead of them, as the Tigers are duking it out with LSU and Texas A&M for who will be the second-best team in the SEC West after the favorite, Alabama.

As for Kentucky, the Wildcats are hoping they can challenging the Gators and the Dawgs in the SEC East. They are seen as either the seventh or eighth-best team in the SEC, along with the division rival Tennessee Volunteers. A few seasons ago, Kentucky had an unforgettable year where the Wildcats won 10 games. However, 2017 was 2017 and Mark Stoops must take the next step.

Florida and Georgia have solidified themselves as the two best teams in the SEC East. While there’s always a third team fighting for divisional supremacy, will it be Kentucky, Tennessee or someone else this season? Tennessee is giving off the impression it is rising under head coach Jeremy Pruitt, but he’s not yet the coaching institution in place at his school like Stoops is.

This game on Saturday in SEC country features two of the longest tenured head coaches in the conference in Stoops and Gus Malzahn. Interestingly enough, both have been at their current jobs since 2013. The only coach with a longer tenure in the SEC is Nick Saban at Alabama, who has been in Tuscaloosa since 2007. Clearly, Malzahn and Stoops are doing enough things right.

With Terry Wilson now back at quarterback and a lot of positive momentum from last year’s season of great perseverance, Kentucky has the players and the coaches to be the third best team in the SEC East. The question remains if the third best team in the SEC East is better than the fourth best team in the SEC West? Again, the gap between Auburn and Kentucky isn’t all that big.

Auburn will be able to hold off being upset at home should Nix play like an All-SEC performer.

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