Know Your Opponent: Kentucky

The Gators and the Wildcats have played every year since
1967; Florida won that year, 28-12. During the game, Gator
kicker Wayne Barfield kicked his 51st consecutive PAT (then
an NCAA record). Pictured here are the Gators sporting blue
jerseys and white helmets. The Seminole

The Wildcats from the University of Kentucky play the Orange and Blue for the 66th time Saturday night. The predecessor of the modern University of Kentucky, the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentucky, was founded in 1865 in Lexington as a chartered department of Kentucky University (now known as Transylvania University). The school moved to the current site of UK’s campus in 1878 after separating from Kentucky University and being given a land-grant from Lexington. The institution changed its name to "State University, Lexington, Kentucky" in 1908 and finally to the "University of Kentucky" eight years later. The University of Kentucky now enrolls over 29,000 students (over 21,000 are undergrads). The school colors are blue and white.

Often overshadowed by the tremendous success of their basketball program, Kentucky’s football program has only had modest success throughout its long history. The first Kentucky football team played in 1881, although Kentucky did not regularly sponsor football until 1891. Along with 13 other schools, Kentucky was a founding member of the Southern Conference (SoCon) in 1921. SoCon is the predecessor to both the SEC and the ACC. Kentucky was also a charter member of the Southeastern Conference and has competed in the SEC since 1933. The 1950 Kentucky Wildcats, coached by Paul “Bear” Bryant, finished 11-1, beat top-ranked Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl, and were the only Kentucky team to have won a regular SEC title. The Cats' only loss that season was a 7-0 blanking by Tennessee. Kentucky also claims the national title for that year, although it is rarely recognized by other institutions. Although far better known for his later tenure at Alabama, Bear Bryant was also Kentucky's most successful head ball coach, posting an impressive 60-23-6 record in his eight years at UK. Kentucky is also credited with the 1976 SEC title title due to the forfeiture of games by Mississippi State that season. The 1977 Wildcats finished with a 10-1 record and #6 ranking in the AP polls, but were ineligible for the SEC championship due to NCAA probation. The Wildcats play in Commonwealth Stadium, the newest stadium in the SEC and the largest stadium in Kentucky. Its official capacity is 61,000, although the largest crowd on record was 71,024 in 2007 for the game against Florida (Kentucky lost, 45-37). This is the first year following a major renovation and modernization of Commonwealth Stadium that reduced its capacity by about 7,000.

Kentucky’s history has not come without its fleeting moments of glorious victory. Kentucky has played 14 first-ranked teams in its history, and on three occasions the Wildcats were triumphant. The first was in 1951 against Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl, the second was in Jackson against Ole Miss in 1964, and the most recent was against the eventual national champions, LSU, in 2007. Playing in front of a sellout home crowd, the 2007 Wildcats (5-1) came into that game ranked 17th but still underdogs against the top-ranked and undefeated Tigers. Led by quarterback Andre' Woodson, the Cats fought the Tigers to a draw in regulation. The Kentucky defense stopped LSU halfback Charles Scott on a fourth down and short in triple-overtime, securing the 43-37 upset. The Wildcats rocketed up to 8th in the polls following the win, but went on to lose four of their next five (including a quadruple-overtime loss to Tennessee). However, the Wildcats ended their 2007 on a high note with a victory over Florida State in the Music City Bowl.

The Gators' last visit to the Bluegrass State resulted in a 24-7
victory. This year's Wildcats appear to be a far more
formidable opponent. Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Beating Kentucky is a paramount goal for many basketball teams each season. In football, the Wildcats have two primary rivals. Kentucky and Tennessee first met in 1893 (UK won 56-0) and have played every year since 1906 (bar 1917 and the war years of 1918 and 1943). For most of its history, this rivalry has been utterly dominated by the Volunteers. In the beginning, Kentucky was actually a somewhat more successful team, winning 10 of the first 21 games (with 3 ties). The turning point was Tennessee's hiring of Robert Neyland as head coach. Since that moment, UT has lead the series with 69 wins to UK's mere 14 (with 6 ties). Tennessee beat Kentucky 26 consecutive times between 1985 and 2010. Even Bear Bryant struggled to beat Tennessee; the Bear's Wildcats went 0-5-2 against Neyland's Volunteers (although Bryant finally beat Tennessee in his last year against Neyland's successor). Throughout Tennessee's dominance, the Wildcats have suffered through many heartbreaking and narrow defeats as well as many humiliating blowouts. Kentucky's more intense and competitive rivalry is that with their in-state brethren, the Louisville Cardinals. The Cats and the Cards fiercely compete in both football and basketball. The first competition between Kentucky and Louisville on the gridiron was held in 1912 and resulted in a 41-0 Wildcat victory. The two schools played five more times (all shutout wins by UK) until the series went dormant in 1924. The rivalry was resurrected 70 years later and has been played every year since. Kentucky leads the series 14-13 all-time, although Louisville has a 13-8 advantage since the series' revival.

The Florida Gators and Kentucky Wildcats have a long history playing another that dates back to their first meeting in 1917 (a 52-0 Kentucky victory). Florida has played Kentucky more than any other opponent other than Georgia and Auburn. For the most part, Florida has dominated this series, especially in recent decades, having triumphed 48 times in 65 games. Florida has more victories over Kentucky than any other opponent of the Gators. Kentucky has only won 17 games against Florida and has not won in the series since 1986. The ongoing 28-game winning streak is the longest in SEC history and the sixth-longest in FBS history. In addition, Florida usually defeats Kentucky with relative ease. However, on occasion, the Wildcats have nearly managed to beat the Gators, only to lose in a heartbreaking fashion (for instance, in 1993, 2002, 2003, and 2007). Just last year, the Wildcats came within a hair's width of upsetting the Gators, only to lose in triple-overtime.