‘That’s a joy.’ Schedule could drive Kentucky football’s season off the rails in a hurry.

Sometimes the light at the end of the tunnel is an oncoming train.

“We get the opportunity to play four of the top six teams in the coming weeks,” said Kentucky football coach Mark Stoops on Monday. “So, that’s a joy.”

Actually, UK’s schedule contains four of the top seven AP Top 25 teams, but who’s counting.

Either way, it’s a stark reminder that if these Cats aren’t able to rebound — and rebound quickly — from last Saturday’s 31-6 faceplant against South Carolina, this 2024 season could fly off the rails quickly.

On the other hand, After his “joy” remark, the coach did go on to say, “But, it’s a great opportunity and I mean that.”

Oh, there will be opportunities. And plenty of them.

If you’re brave enough to follow along, quick early scouting reports on the opponents ahead:

Georgia (2-0): The No. 1-ranked Bulldogs will carry a 27-game SEC regular season win streak into Kroger Field on Saturday night. Kirby Smart’s Dawgs haven’t lost a regular season conference tilt since 2020. And they’ve never lost to Kentucky in the Stoops era.

After toasting Clemson 34-6 in its opener, UGA was so dominant in its 48-3 win over FCS member Tennessee Tech, the coaches agreed to reduce the fourth quarter from 15 minutes to 10.

Ohio (1-1): The Bobcats lost 38-22 at Syracuse, then beat South Alabama 27-20. Ohio running back Anthony Tyus II has rushed for 277 yards in his first two games, including 203 against Syracuse in the opener.

Remember, it was 20 years ago that Ohio U. came to Lexington and shocked Rich Brooks and Co. 28-16 on Oct. 2, 2004. In fact, the Bobcats are 2-3 in their last five games against the Wildcats.

Ole Miss (2-0): No. 5 in the AP poll, the Rebels lead the nation in (a) total offense at an eye-popping 713.5 yards per game and (b) yards per play at 9.21. They outscored their first two foes (Furman and Middle Tennessee) by a combined 128-3.

By the way, UK plays Ole Miss in Oxford.

Vanderbilt (2-0): You read that right, the Commodores are 2-0. They upset Virginia Tech 34-27 in their opener, then blanked Alcorn State 55-0 last week.

New Vandy signal-caller Diego Pavia is the sixth-best running quarterback in the nation, averaging 77.5 rushing yards per game.

Florida (1-1): After being embarrassed 41-17 by in-state rival Miami in Week 1, the Gators whipped Samford 45-7 in Week 2. Florida has an exciting new freshman quarterback in DJ Lagway. And everybody knows Billy Napier is coaching for his job.

By the way, UK plays Florida in Gainesville.

Auburn (1-1): Hugh Freeze’s Tigers stumbled last week, losing 21-14 at home to California. After throwing four interceptions, Auburn quarterback Payton Thorne said he received Venmo requests from fans who lost bets on the Tigers.

Tennessee (2-0): Yeah, yeah, everybody is raving about No. 7 Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava and Josh Heupel’s offense, but not enough are talking about the Tennessee defense. The Vols held North Carolina State to 143 total yards last Saturday in a 51-10 whipping of the Wolfpack.

By the way, UK plays Tennessee in Knoxville.

Murray State (0-2): Possibly the only breather on the entire UK slate. The Racers opened with a 51-0 loss at Missouri before dropping a 19-17 decision to Butler.

Texas (2-0): The No. 2-ranked Longhorns made quite the statement last week, easily handling defending national champion Michigan 31-12 in the Big House. Texas led 24-3 at the half and quarterback Quinn Ewers may have jumped to the front of the Heisman Trophy race after throwing for 246 yards and three touchdowns.

By the way, UK plays Texas in Austin.

Louisville (2-0): The first to admit that Jeff Brohm’s Cardinals have opened with a couple of cream puffs in Austin Peay and Jacksonville State, but the Cards have looked good feasting on their foes. They won the first game 62-0, the second 49-14. They’re fourth in the nation in total offense at 590.5 yards per game.

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