Alabama Football: Bold predictions for each of Tide’s 2020 opponents

Bold predictions for Alabama football’s opponents: Kentucky Wildcats

Kentucky will be hurt the most by empty stadiums.

We’ve discussed at length the impact of having no fans in the stands this college football season. There is still hope for limited capacity, but that hope is fleeting.

Kentucky already had an incredibly tough schedule going into the year. Road games against Auburn and Florida, plus a home game against Georgia? That almost feels like three losses off the top. Adding in their road game against Alabama makes a 7-3 season feel like an overwhelming success. However, the only way they can do that is if they rally around the crowd.

Kentucky’s night game atmosphere is one of the most underrated in all of college football. They could possibly upset the Bulldogs at home if everything went right. If not, they could at least hope for wins against Mississippi State and South Carolina. Depending on how the games are ordered, Kentucky could start off with a terrible record and have no way to rally. Fans would be great for the Wildcats, but they won’t feel their energy through a television screen.

Home crowds can also help inconsistent quarterbacks. UK will be happy to see Terry Wilson return to action, but he was never known as a consistent option. He relied on a strong running game and a great atmosphere. Neither of those will be the case in 2020, and it will hurt Kentucky.