Kentucky football, with nine-game SEC schedule, no longer has room annually for LouisvilleKentucky football can no longer afford to play Louisville every year. Three wins is halfway to bowl eligibility, but it’s also allowed UK to ease into its SEC schedule with confidence in most years. Scheduling a more winnable game becomes way more important than the Governor's Cup with that ninth SEC game now permanently on the schedule. A nondescript Power Four school like Northwestern or N.C. State would never have the UK game circled on its calendar. Their SEC schedule for 2027 features home games against annual opponents South Carolina and Tennessee, and rotating opponents Auburn, Georgia and Mississippi State.