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FACTS & STATS: Site: Paul Brown Stadium (65.790) -- Cincinnati, Ohio. Television: ESPNU. Home Record: Kentucky 0-0, Miami-OH 0-0. Away Record: Kentucky 0-0, Miami-OH 0-0. Neutral Record: Kentucky 0-0, Miami-OH 0-0. Conference Record: Kentucky 0-0, Miami-OH 0-0. Series Record: Kentucky leads, 6-4-1.

GAME NOTES: The Kentucky Wildcats of the SEC open the season in Cincinnati against the Miami-Ohio RedHawks of the Mid-American Conference.

The good news for coach Rich Brooks and his Kentucky Wildcats is that the 2008 season yielded more wins than losses. The club finished 7-6 after beating East Carolina on January 2nd in the Liberty Bowl. On a down note, the Wildcats fell off significantly after a 4-0 start, going just 3-6 the rest of the way. Their final SEC record was 2-6, disappointing for sure. Coach Brooks is now 32-41 at Kentucky, and he returns 13 starters. Kentucky is undoubtedly still a basketball-first school, but the hoops program has been down a bit in recent years, and since the football team has become competitive and dare we say successful, folks in Lexington are starting to take notice. The Wildcats have won 14 straight against non-conference foes.

For the second time in three years, the RedHawks finished with only two victories in 2008, and one of the two wins was a narrow 11-point triumph over an FCS opponent. There are seven teams on the 2009 Miami schedule that played in bowl games last season, including BCS participant Cincinnati. Mike Haywood is the first-year head coach of the RedHawks, and he hopes to bring a physical style of play to the program. It will be interesting to see if the RedHawks, who are expected to do very little this season, put up a fight against the Wildcats with only eight combined returning starters on offense and defense.

Kentucky owns a 6-4-1 series advantage over Miami-Ohio, and the teams haven't squared off since 1991.

Kentucky quarterback Mike Hartline needs to take a step forward after completing only 55.3 percent of his passes for 1,666 yards with nine touchdowns and eight interceptions last season. Largely as a result of that mediocre play, the UK offense generated only 22.6 ppg, down significantly from the 36.5 ppg the team mustered in 2007. Randall Cobb, who started four games at quarterback as a freshman last season, will line up under center in some formations, and he will also be featured at receiver. He made 21 catches for 197 yards and two touchdowns last season in a part-time role, and he figures to fight through some back pain in this opener. As for the Kentucky ground attack, it has the potential to be strong, but coach Brooks needs to see the results on the field. After all, Kentucky struggled mightily to move the ball on the ground in '08. Derrick Locke ran for 319 yards on 63 carries last season before injury cut the campaign short. He and Alfonso Smith figure to get plenty of touches both in this opener and all season long.

Brooks admitted recently that there were some key defensive players lost from last year's squad, but he says there is an infusion of young talent that is the result of the program's recent success and national exposure. Start at the middle linebacker position, as Micah Johnson is back in the fold. The senior posted 93 stops last season, including 13 TFLs and four sacks. After flirting with the draft, Johnson decided to come back to Kentucky, and the team is significantly better because of that decision. An even bigger star roams the secondary. Trevard Lindley may be the best corner in the SEC, and he has nine interceptions and 34 pass breakups to his credit. A bit undersized, Lindley relies on his pure cover skills which are off the charts, and the fact that he didn't enter the NFL Draft was downright shocking.

Miami-Ohio has been dreadful offensively in recent years, averaging less than 20.0 ppg in each of the past three seasons. Daniel Raudabaugh struggled for most of last year, throwing just eight TDs against nine interceptions, so he does not have a stranglehold on the starting role heading into this opener. Both Clayton Belton and redshirt freshman Zac Dysert may step in at any time. Chris Givens hauled in seven touchdowns from his receiver position a year ago, while the rest of the team grabbed only three. Thomas Merriweather racked up 547 yards out of the backfield last season, but dealt with injuries and saw his touches drop as the year progressed. Both are solid players, but neither is going to scare the Wildcats too much.

Unfortunately, the Miami defense was just as bad when compared to the offense last year, as the RedHawks were pounded for 396.0 yards and 32.7 points per game. The main issue was the unit's inability to stop the run, as opponents gashed Miami for 208.0 ypg on the ground. The biggest area of concern heading into this opener is at linebacker, as the team lost Joey Hudson and Clayton Mullins, the top two tacklers from a year ago. Caleb Bostic will likely man the middle and he has some experience, starting four games in 2008. The strength of this unit once again will likely be in the secondary, as the team has three starters returning, including corners Cornelius Ward and Jeff Thompson.

Despite this one taking place in the RedHawks' home state, Kentucky is the better team from top to bottom and the Wildcats should have little trouble getting off to a positive start.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Kentucky 34, Miami-Ohio 13