Here we go again: Tennessee football and Kentucky in another November matchup of nationally ranked teams contending for a championship.

Sorry, the sarcasm was irresistible. I’ve been in Knoxville for 39 games between the Wildcats and Vols but never encountered a matchup in which both teams had such high postseason expectations.

That’s on Kentucky, not Tennessee. The Vols have won 38 of the past 41 games in one of college football’s most one-sided border rivalries.

Only twice since 1977 has Kentucky experienced a 10-win season. That was in 2018 and 2021. Tennessee wasn’t at the top of its game in either of those seasons. The Vols went 5-7 in 2018 and 7-6 in 2021.

Nonetheless, those games were indicative of the series. Even when the Wildcats are at their best, they invariably come up short against mediocre-or-worse Tennessee teams.

In 2018, the Vols lost six games by 25 or more points. And after beating Kentucky by 17 points, they lost their last two games to Missouri by 33 points and to Vanderbilt by 25.

In 2021, Tennessee lost to Alabama by 28 points and to Georgia by 24. In between, it beat Kentucky 45-42.

Perhaps, I’m wasting my time revisiting Tennessee-Kentucky history, because this Kentucky team bears little resemblance to its predecessors, most of whom wilted at the sight of orange.

This isn’t Kentucky. It’s “Kenlucky.”

You must be a little lucky to win two games on two-point conversions, don’t you? And don’t you need Lady Luck as a sidekick to win three consecutive SEC road games in a season when so many conference teams have flopped terribly away from home.

Or maybe, luck has nothing to do with it. Perhaps, it’s all about first-year coach Will Stein, who – despite growing up a Kentucky fan – believed he could win a championship at a school whose championship history has been confined to basketball.

Before he coached his first Kentucky game, Stein evinced Curt Cignetti-like confidence. Why did he think he would win at Kentucky? “I think because of me, to be honest,” he said at SEC football media days.

“Because of me,” could become a Kentucky bumper sticker if this season continues on its upward course. And with each victory, more true believers in Kentucky’s football revival would proclaim it as “the next Indiana,” a basketball school that has become a football force.

Imagine if it did. Suddenly, having Kentucky as an annual opponent would become a detriment, not an asset.

Tennessee got a whiff of such a turnaround last season when Vanderbilt overwhelmed it 45-24 in Neyland Stadium on its way to a historically high 10-win season.

But Vanderbilt’s short-lived run to football prominence was about a quarterback, Diego Pavia, who finished second in the Heisman Trophy race. Kentucky’s newly exalted status in football is about a coach.

So what if this is Stein’s first head-coaching gig. The former Oregon offensive coordinator already has won two more games than the Wildcats did last season. And Kentucky enters the last month of the regular season as a playoff contender.

Once past Tennessee, Kentucky’s last three opponents are Florida, Missouri on the road, and Louisville.

Kentucky has won four of its last five games against Florida. And last year, it beat the Gators by 31 points.

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The Wildcats have won seven of their past nine games against Missouri. Although they lost the last two games against Louisville, they won the previous five.

So, recent history would favor Kentucky winning its last three games. But first, it faces the challenge of overcoming more than 40 years of bad history against Tennessee.

John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 or john.adams@knoxnews.com.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee football better realize Kentucky has become 'Kenlucky' | Adams

Source: Yahoo Sports