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 advantage over Louisville, though the Cards won in 2024 after five straight losses.
The Athletic reported earlier in May that ESPN would be open to increasing its payment to the SEC by about $50 million to $80 million annually if it added a ninth game to its football schedule. That’s on top of their current deal, which pays the SEC $811 million per year for broadcasting rights to its sporting events.
The SEC likely won’t make a decision whether to add a game this week in Florida, as it waits for the College Football Playoff format to be determined this summer. But ESPN’s willingness to shell out more cash could quell one of the main concerns among member schools when it comes to expanding the schedule.
It wouldn’t cost UK too much to discontinue the remaining five games of its contract with U of L. If Louisville could not find a “team of similar stature” to replace Kentucky on the schedule, UK would owe $500,000 per canceled game plus an additional $500,000 in “liquidated damages,” according to their agreement. Should ESPN up the ante on its contract with the SEC, that would free up more money for Kentucky to buy out the series.
Commissioner Greg Sankey told reporters at SEC spring meetings he’s encouraging schools to not “walk away” from marquee nonconference games.
“We’d like to preserve these games,” Sankey said. “That’s one of the problems we’re encountering right now. We’ve seen that. I’ve heard that. We’ve even had discussions with our ADs who are thinking maybe I shouldn’t play this game.”
Schools possess more fear of losses than excitement for high-profile wins, as the CFP selection committee seems to ding programs for mistakes with more fervor than it rewards them for overachieving.
This isn’t exactly a pertinent issue for UK football. “I have a lot of work to do to get into that (CFP) discussion,” Stoops told The Courier Journal, “but it does pertain to the league. The overall well-being of the league, I think, is what all the coaches and athletic directors and presidents have to weigh.”
Reach college sports enterprise reporter Payton Titus at ptitus@gannett.com, and follow her on X @petitus25.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville vs Kentucky game future if SEC football schedule changes?
