Kentucky vs. Louisville: The Governor's Cup is in Jeopardy

Actions made this week in Destin at the SEC Spring Meetings could ultimately lead to the end of the Battle for the Governor’s Cup. The annual rivalry game played between Kentucky and Louisville since 1994 is in jeopardy as the SEC seeks to change its football scheduling format.

Proposed Rule Change

Wednesday night we learned Kentucky is leading a coalition to keep the 8-conference game schedule model. The Power Five is currently split on playing either eight or nine conference games annually. Mitch Barnhart is comparing to Power Five competition to convince others to remain at eight SEC games, leaving season-ending rivalry with Louisville intact.

Proponents of the 9-game SEC schedule format are offering a different kind of concession to Kentucky and their counterparts. Brandon Marcello of 247 Sports reports the SEC is expected to eliminate a rule that requires teams to schedule at least one non-conference opponent from a Power 5 conference each season, which could, in theory, lead to mass cancelations or shuffling of schedules.

Current Governor’s Cup Contract

Kentucky and Louisville went 70 years without playing one another in football. As Freddie Maggard often shares, the Eastern Kentucky native never considered Louisville a rival. After all, they never played and he rarely dealt with Louisville fans. Since the Governor’s Cup was re-introduced, it’s been a back and forth affair. Louisville leads the modern series 15-12, but each side has three three+ game winning streaks.

The Wildcats have won the last three meetings, but the teams did not play in 2020. A clause in the contract allows for games to be canceled without financial retribution if the conference changes scheduling requirements, like it did when the SEC played a 10-game conference-only schedule during the pandemic. Kentucky and Louisville amended and extended the series contract through 2030 following the COVID cancellation.

The Governor’s Cup can still be Played in a 9-Game SEC Schedule

If the SEC moves to a 9-game conference schedule, the league will not require teams to play a tenth Power Five opponent. Kentucky could still end the season against Louisville. That does not mean it will happen.

Mark Stoops has been a fierce opponent to expanding the SEC schedule. Piling up wins is a priority over adding big-name opponents to the schedule. How willing is Stoops to bend that scheduling philosophy if it means preserving a valuable rivalry game?

Kentucky’s surprising upset over Lamar Jackson and the Cards in 2016 gave Stoops a ton of capital with the BBN. Now winners of four of the last five, the Cats are completely controlling instate recruiting. Kentucky has all of the momentum in the series. Eliminating it now to play another Group of Five opponent would not only draw backlash from fans, but it could cause the Cats to relinquish its recruiting grip on the Commonwealth.

You can probably count the number of Kentucky fans that want to end this series on one hand. Nobody wants to see the rivalry go away, but Barnhart and Stoops will certainly consider it if another Top 25 SEC team gets added to the schedule annually.