The bye week has not been kind to Kentucky football, and that’s one trend Will Stein can’t afford to let linger.
Stein has already knocked down a few familiar Mark Stoops patterns in his first season in charge. Kentucky needed more than two full seasons under Stoops to win a road game.
Stein has done it three times already, and the Wildcats are 3-0 away from Kroger Field. One of those wins came after Kentucky erased a 17-point hole, and another featured a comeback from 10 down against Vanderbilt.
Before those victories, the Wildcats had not won a game after trailing by double digits since the 2019 Belk Bowl.
Now comes another test of whether Stein can keep flipping the script.
Since 2013, Kentucky has been a slow starter coming out of the bye. The Wildcats are 6-11 in those games and 5-10 against SEC opponents. Against the spread, that stretch has been even rougher: 4-13.
That history matters because Kentucky heads to Knoxville next Saturday as an underdog, and Tennessee has been a tough place for Big Blue Nation to celebrate. Kentucky has only one win there since 1984.
The Vols are also coming off a bye, and Josh Heupel has been excellent in that spot, going 5-1 after the break. That includes wins over Kentucky in 2021 and 2024.
Tennessee was ranked No. 4 when it lost on the road at Arkansas after one of its two bye weeks in 2024.
The full run of Kentucky’s post-bye games since 2013 shows just how uneven the results have been. It starts with a 24-7 loss to No.
20 Florida on Sept. 28, 2013, and includes defeats at Mississippi State, against Tennessee, and at No. 3 Tennessee in 2022.
There were some bright spots mixed in - wins over Vanderbilt, Auburn, Mississippi State, Arkansas, and Murray State - but the overall pattern has leaned the wrong way.
Here’s the full record after the bye since 2013:
On 9/28/2013, Kentucky was an 11-point underdog against No. 20 Florida and lost 24-7. The Wildcats fell to 0-1, 0-1 ATS.
On 10/24/2013, Kentucky was again a +11 underdog at Mississippi State and lost 28-22. That moved the Wildcats to 0-2, 1-1 ATS.
On 9/27/2014, Kentucky was a 17-point favorite against Vanderbilt and won 17-7. The Wildcats improved to 1-2, 1-2 ATS.
On 11/29/2014, Kentucky was a +12 underdog at No. 24 Louisville and lost 44-40. The Wildcats dropped to 1-3, 2-2 ATS.
On 10/15/2015, Kentucky was a +1 underdog against Auburn and lost 30-27. The Wildcats fell to 1-4, 2-3 ATS.
On 10/22/2016, Kentucky was a +4 underdog against Mississippi State and won 40-38. The Wildcats moved to 2-4, 3-3 ATS.
On 10/21/2017, Kentucky was a +12 underdog at Mississippi State and lost 45-7. The Wildcats dropped to 2-5, 3-4 ATS.
On 10/20/2018, Kentucky was an 11-point favorite against Vanderbilt and won 14-7. The Wildcats improved to 3-5, 3-5 ATS.
On 10/12/2019, Kentucky was a 7-point favorite against Arkansas and won 24-20. The Wildcats moved to 4-5, 3-6 ATS.
On 11/9/2019, Kentucky was a 1-point favorite against Tennessee and lost 17-13. The Wildcats fell to 4-6, 3-7 ATS.
On 11/14/2020, Kentucky was a 17-point favorite against Vanderbilt and won 38-35. The Wildcats improved to 5-6, 3-8 ATS.
On 10/30/2021, Kentucky was a pick’em at Mississippi State and lost 31-17. The Wildcats dropped to 5-7, 3-9 ATS.
On 10/29/2022, No. 19 Kentucky was an 11-point underdog at No.
3 Tennessee and lost 44-6. The Wildcats fell to 5-8, 3-10 ATS.
On 10/28/2023, Kentucky was a 3-point underdog against No. 21 Tennessee and won 33-27. The Wildcats moved to 5-9, 3-11 ATS.
On 10/12/2024, Kentucky was a 12.5-point favorite against Vanderbilt and lost 20-13. The Wildcats dropped to 5-10, 3-12 ATS.
On 11/16/2024, Kentucky was a 41-point favorite against Murray State and won 48-6. The Wildcats improved to 6-10, 4-12 ATS.
On 9/27/2025, Kentucky was a 6.5-point underdog at South Carolina and lost 35-13. The Wildcats fell to 6-11, 4-13 ATS.
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