Saturday could be another turning point in the Kentucky-Tennessee series

There is a lot on the line for Kentucky on Saturday. Not only can the Cats extend their winning streak at Kroger Field this year to 6-0, they can also keep their hopes for a 10-2 season — and a potential New Year’s Six bowl — alive. Most importantly, they can further assert their position above Tennessee in the SEC.

A win Saturday would be Kentucky’s second in a row over the Vols and third in the past five meetings. The Cats have not won back-to-back games vs. Tennessee since 1976-77. They haven’t beaten Tennessee and Florida in the same season since ’77 either. Beating the Vols would get a special season back on track and quiet the Tennessee fanbase, which continues to believe it is superior to the Cats in football, even though recent numbers suggest otherwise.

Since 2016, Kentucky’s record is 43-28 overall, 24-24 in SEC games; Tennessee’s is 33-35, 16-31 in the SEC. The Cats have gone to five straight bowls, while the Vols have only been to two in the same time period, the Music City Bowl in 2016 and the Gator Bowl in 2020. In the past three years, 13 Kentucky Wildcats have been drafted to Tennessee’s four.

This season marks the ten-year anniversary of Matt Roark stepping in as quarterback to snap the Vols’ 26-game winning streak. Last year, Kentucky beat Tennessee in Knoxville for the first time since 1984, a satisfying 34-7 romp. Saturday could mark another turning point in the series. The Cats and the Vols have split the last four meetings after Tennessee had won 31 of 32 from 1985 to 2016. Getting back-to-back dubs for the first time since 1977-78 is exactly what this program and the fans need to continue to climb the SEC ladder.