Kentucky vs. Louisville: Early Line Released for 2024 Governor's Cup

In 116 days the Kentucky football season will kick off against Southern Miss at Kroger Field. After 11 games and a pair of byes, the Louisville Cardinals will come to town. Many months before the rivalry is renewed, we have a point spread on the game and it’s quite surprising.

Kentucky is a one-point home underdog against Louisville.

Yes, you read that correctly. Among the dozens of early college football point spreads produced by DraftKings, Kentucky is only featured once and they are home underdogs against the Cards.

Allow me to remind you that when the ball is kicked off this fall, it will have been 2,562 days since Louisville defeated Kentucky in a football game. Kentucky has five straight wins in the series over the last six years.

The last time Louisville actually took home the Governor’s Cup, two-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson was playing quarterback. Can you remember the Cards actually winning one without him? It was during the Obama administration, all the way back in Mark Stoops’ second season as the Kentucky head football coach. That was ten years ago, which is also Louisville’s last Governor’s Cup victory at Don’t-Call-Me-Papa-Johns-Credit-Union-Stadium. You’re reading that correctly: Louisville hasn’t beaten its biggest rival at home in ten years.

Here I am, giving Louisville a hard time for losing to Kentucky time and time and time and time and time again. They deserve some credit. After all, last year they actually played in a conference championship game. What an accomplishment. Of course, they didn’t win the game, just like the week prior when they lost by seven points to the Cats in the Governor’s Cup. After losing four in a row to Kentucky by an average of 30.5 points per game, Cards fans gotta take what they can get.

Does it make sense that Louisville is a favorite over Kentucky? Of course not, but the BBN should not care one bit. The Cats were underdogs when Ray Davis scored three touchdowns. They were underdogs when Will Levis rushed for four touchdowns. Lynn Bowden also rushed for four touchdowns when Kentucky was an underdog. Oh, and the Cats were 27.5-point underdogs when Lamar did the Heisman pose, then fumbled.

Once again, Kentucky is an underdog against Louisville in the Governor’s Cup. What a shame, a real shame.

Other Noteworthy Early College Football Spreads

Week Zero Florida State -13 vs. Georgia Tech
Miami -2 at Florida
Notre Dame +2 at Texas A&M
Clemson +13.5 at Georgia
LSU -6 vs USC
Texas -3 at Michigan
West Virginia -4.5 at Pitt
Tennessee +5 at Oklahoma
USC +11 at Michigan
Louisville +10 at Notre Dame
Georgia -4.5 at Alabama
Michigan -9 at Washington
Ole Miss +2.5 at LSU
Texas -8.5 vs Oklahoma
Alabama +1 at LSU
Oklahoma +4 at Missouri
Texas -4 at Texas A&M
Michigan +10 at Ohio State