Kentucky vs. Eastern Kentucky Prediction, Pick, Odds: Will QB Devin Leary Make Kentucky Better?

Eastern Kentucky vs. Kentucky Prediction, Pick, Odds: Will QB Devin Leary Make Kentucky Better?

The Kentucky Wildcats will take on the Eastern Kentucky Colonels in the second week of the college football season.

Kentucky no longer has Will Levis at quarterback or Chris Rodriguez at running back. They've got plenty of new faces on the roster, including North Carolina State transfer quarterback Devin Leary.

Levis was never given enough time in the pocket last season. Can the Kentucky offensive line provide enough blocking for Leary to have success?

Here are our picks, predictions, and odds for Saturday's Week 2 game between the Kentucky Wildcats vs. Eastern Kentucky Colonels.

Eastern Kentucky vs. Kentucky Start Time, Where to Watch, and Odds

• Date: September 9, 2023
• Game Time: 3:00 pm ET
• Where to Watch: ESPN+, SECN

Eastern Kentucky vs. Kentucky Odds

• Spread: Eastern Kentucky +31 (-110), Kentucky -31 (-110)
• Total Odds: Over 55.5 (-110), Under 55.5 (-110)
• Moneyline Odds: N/A

Eastern Kentucky vs. Kentucky Injury Report

Eastern Kentucky

None Reported

Kentucky

Questionable: TE Jordan Dingle (Undisclosed), TE Josh Kattus (Undisclosed), RB Jamarion Wilcox (Hamstring)

Eastern Kentucky vs. Kentucky Prediction

The Kentucky Wildcats are in a new era.

Devin Leary will play quarterback, and Ray Davis will be at running back. Both transfers will take on the starting role at their respective positions.

As mentioned earlier, Will Levis didn't get much help from last year's offensive line. But Kentucky addressed those issues after adding Marquez Cox from Northern Illinois and Courtland Ford from USC. They've also got NFL-caliber players at center and guard.

Leary will also play with a lot of young receivers. He'll have to lead this bunch. It might take time for them to all gel. But the top five receivers from last year's team are still around. The receiver group has depth, and the combinations on the field are endless.

Meanwhile, the Kentucky defense rarely earned sacks. The pass rush last year came mainly from linebackers, not even the defensive line. Again, Kentucky addressed those concerns and brought Keeshawn Silver from North Carolina. If the pass rush is successful, the secondary will be too.

Everything should click against Eastern Kentucky. This is more of a tune-up game for Kentucky. They're taking on an FCS opponent.

Eastern Kentucky is no joke of a program. They were one of the best offenses in FCS last season. Parker McKinney added 33 touchdowns and nearly 4,000 yards passing. He also scored eight touchdowns on the ground.

But while the offensive line has some starters back, they won't get much push against this Kentucky defense.

Eastern Kentucky could probably beat multiple D1 teams in college football. They almost beat Eastern Michigan in a 42-34 game last year and defeated Bowling Green in Week 2 in a seven-overtime game.

But Kentucky is in the SEC. That's a whole lot harder.

Eastern Kentucky vs. Kentucky Pick

• Kentucky -31 (-110) is currently the best odds. Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds for this pick

College Football Odds

• Click here for Eastern Kentucky vs. Kentucky odds
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