A win against South Carolina has the Cats trending upward in a big way.

No, you didn’t stumble over an article that was written in early August. It’s late September, the Kentucky Wildcats are 2-2, and ESPN has them going bowling.

ESPN’s Brett McMurphy updated his bowl projections after Week 4, and believe it or not, the Cats made the list.

McMurphy has Kentucky taking on Wake Forest in the Camping World Independence Bowl in Shreveport, Louisiana, which would take place December 26.

I’m thrilled that Kentucky has worked back to 2-2 and has gained a little respect among national media, but I’m not ready to throw them back into bowl projections yet. The loss to Southern Miss is still embarrassing and the defense has to show that Week 4 wasn’t a fluke.

The coming weeks will tell a lot, and we’ll see Kentucky in a must-win game in two weeks against Vanderbilt that will go a long way in determining whether McMurphy is right or not.

Nonetheless, I am at least a little bit excited that Kentucky football is trending upward for now.