University of Kentucky athletics director Mitch Barnhart and coach Mark Stoops discuss Governor’s Cup as SEC football weighs expanding to nine conference games.
MIRAMAR BEACH, FL. — Conference realignment has killed many a storied rivalry over the years.
Michigan-Notre Dame, Auburn-Georgia Tech, Louisville-Cincinnati, Pittsburgh-West Virginia, Texas-Texas A&M, Kansas-Missouri, BYU-Utah, Maryland-Virginia.
Could the Governor’s Cup be next?
The series’ fate has been called into question since the SEC expanded to 16 members in July 2021 and impetus toward a nine-game conference schedule grew. Adding an intraleague opponent would leave less room for UK to keep its annual rivalry matchup with U of L. Ten power conference opponents is a lot. Gridiron bragging rights may fall by the wayside in favor of so-called guarantee games that’d bolster the Cats’ chances of bowl eligibility.
The current eight-game slate “has served the University of Kentucky incredibly well,” athletics director Mitch Barnhart told The Courier Journal at SEC spring meetings. It allows UK to host eight games every other season, which benefits the program financially, and it gives the Wildcats more freedom to assemble their own schedule. While Barnhart and coach Mark Stoops will ultimately support whatever the conference decides, Barnhart said they’d probably stand in support of eight games in whatever room the decision is being made.
So, where does that leave the Governor’s Cup?
“We’ve got contracts with Louisville for a few years out,” Barnhart said, “so we’ll work our way through all that and don’t anticipate that changing.”
The UK-U of L series has been played every year (except 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic) since its renewal in 1994. Before the renewal, the programs faced off six times between 1912 and 1924. Kentucky owns a 20-16…
Source link : https://www.courier-journal.com/story/sports/college/2025/05/29/louisville-kentucky-football-series-governors-cup-rivalry-sec-schedule-mark-stoops/83779106007/
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Publish date : 2025-05-29 09:07:00
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