For all the progress Kentucky Football has made under Will Stein, there’s still one stubborn piece of the old narrative sitting right in front of it: Tennessee.
Tuesday’s first College Football Playoff Selection Committee rankings showed just how far the Wildcats have come, slotting Kentucky at No. 6 for its highest ranking ever. That kind of rise says plenty about Stein’s impact in just one year, and it also shines a light on what Mark Stoops built during his 13-year run in Lexington.
Together, those two have pushed Kentucky close to finally shaking off the “Old Kentucky Football” label that hung around the program for years. But not all of it is gone yet. Beating a strong Tennessee team would go a long way toward finishing the job.
That’s the problem for Kentucky: the wins over the Volunteers in recent years haven’t really come against good Vols teams.
The Wildcats ended Tennessee’s 26-game run in the series in 2011, but that was a Volunteers team that finished 5-7. Kentucky also beat Tennessee in 2017 and 2020, but neither of those victories came against a true heavyweight.
The 2017 Vols finished 4-8, and Butch Jones was fired two weeks later. The 2020 Tennessee team was ranked No. 18 when Kentucky beat it in Knoxville, but it ended up 3-7 and had the season vacated because of recruiting violations.
Go back to 2011, and the picture is a little better, but not by much. Tennessee entered the regular-season finale at 5-6, still trying to become bowl eligible, and Kentucky’s Matt Roark-led squad pulled out a 10-7 win to send Derek Dooley’s team home at 5-7.
To find Kentucky’s last win over a Tennessee team that finished with a winning record, you have to go all the way back to 1984. That Wildcats team went 9-3 and beat a Tennessee squad that finished 7-4-1 in Knoxville.
That 1984 Kentucky team also included defensive end Matt Stein, Will Stein’s father.
So yes, Kentucky’s 37-year-old head coach wasn’t alive the last time the Wildcats beat a good Tennessee team.
If you narrow the search to Tennessee teams that finished in the AP Poll or the CFP rankings, the drought stretches even farther. The last Kentucky win over that kind of Vols team came in 1957, when a 2-7 Wildcats team stunned a 6-2 Tennessee squad in Lexington.
That Tennessee team went on to finish 8-3 and No. 13 in the final AP Poll after climbing as high as No. 5.
This year’s Tennessee team is ranked No. 13 in the CFP rankings, and the path ahead still has plenty of movement left. The Vols still have games at Texas A&M, against No. 14 LSU, and at Vanderbilt.
If Tennessee were to lose to Kentucky and LSU but beat Texas A&M and Vanderbilt, it would still likely have a shot to land in the top 25 of the CFP rankings and/or the AP Poll. At 8-4 and with two more top-25 losses, that possibility would remain, especially if No. 5 Alabama stays near the top after being crushed by Tennessee three weeks ago.
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Kentucky's CFP Path Just Got More Complicated Than Wildcats Fans Realize
Kentuckys first College Football Playoff ranking of the season landed at No. 6, a spot that should have felt like a clear sign the Wildcats are in the thick of the race. Instead, the debut poll only underscored how crowded and complicated the path can be, especially with Alabama showing up at No. 5 despite already having two losses.
CFP committee chair Hunter Yurachek pointed to Alabamas wins over ranked opponents, including Kentucky and Mississippi State, as part of the reason the Crimson Tide stayed ahead. He also noted the committee does not use head-to-head results to compare teams in different ranking pods, a detail that mattered in Tennessees placement relative to Alabama and serves as a reminder that Kentuckys standing is only one piece of a much messier playoff puzzle. [Read more 🡒]
Kentucky Has A Real Shot To Flip This Five-Star Recruitment
AJ Williams is set to spend the weekend in Lexington, and that alone gives Kentucky a legitimate opening in one of the most closely watched recruitments in the country. The five-star prospect, now in the 2027 class after reclassifying, has already taken trips to several other programs and trimmed things down to a top 10, but the Wildcats have emerged as a newer presence in the mix as they prepare to host him beginning Saturday.
For Kentucky, the timing matters. Official visits are often where a program can separate itself, and Williams is expected to keep gathering information before making a final call after more stops. The Wildcats are still trying to make their case from behind, but getting him on campus this early in the process gives them a real chance to leave a lasting impression. [Read more 🡒]
Will Stein Just Framed Kentuckys Biggest Challenge At Tennessee
With Kentucky heading into a November trip to Tennessee, Will Stein used a radio interview to put the focus on the basics that usually decide games like this. The Wildcats coach talked about practice habits, the need to be sharp at the line of scrimmage, and the value of running the football if Kentucky wants to put itself in position to compete in a rivalry setting.
Stein also pointed to defensive ball control as part of the formula, a reminder that this matchup figures to be about more than just tempo or emotion. He framed Tennessee as one of Kentuckys primary football rivals, alongside Louisville and Duke, which only adds to the weight of a game that already feels like a measuring stick for where the Wildcats stand. [Read more 🡒]