It’s not time to press the panic button yet at Kentucky, a program in transition under Mark Stoops who appears to know what he’s doing in Lexington.

Since his arrival, the Wildcats have welcomed three signing classes ranked inside the Top 40 and have taken a step in the right direction facility-wise including a $120 million upgrade to Commonwealth Stadium this season and plans for a $45 million practice facility in the future.

Stoops is going about things the right way, even if it hasn’t shown up on the field just yet.

From the outside looking in, Kentucky appears to be a fringe seven-win team based on personnel heading into the season, but the Wildcats are going to need a couple breaks since the schedule is one of the Eastern Division’s toughest. It’ll be interesting to see production up front defensively following the departure of two NFL pass rushers and if Kentucky’s offensive line can protect an underrated group of skill players.

Best case scenario SEC series

KENTUCKY WILDCATS

2014 record: 5-7, 2-6
2015 best case: 6-6, 2-6
Closer look: After starting last season 5-1 with a possible bowl berth on the horizon, Kentucky dropped six straight to end the regular season and missed out on an additional game. The Wildcats may have to endure the opposite this fall, recovering from a slow start to record a hot finish. Kentucky’s 2015 slate is front-loaded with three games against Eastern Division rivals in September. The Wildcats will be underdogs in all three and could very well be one game under .500 by the open week on Oct. 10. A make or break game could be a Thursday night showdown in Lexington vs. Auburn on Oct. 15. Kentucky’s lost 10 straight against Western Division teams dating back to the 2010 campaign.
Silver lining: The schedule’s not favorable by any stretch, but if Stoops’ team can find a way to beat Louisville in the regular-season finale, the Wildcats should win all four non-conference games this fall which leaves some margin for error during league play. Then comes the task of picking two winnable SEC games. Kentucky should be favored at Vanderbilt in November, but the rest of the slate against league competition is worrisome. Road games at South Carolina, Georgia and Mississippi State are challenging while home dates against Florida, Mizzou and Tennessee will test Kentucky’s strength on both sides of the football. Getting to six wins is the goal and the Wildcats should find a way to get there.