This game was supposed to mean something different this year. Jeff Brohm was coming into year 2 with huge hype. Mark Stoops got over 50 new players and vowed to be better. And then the season actually happened.
A month ago, we circled this date thinking Kentucky could play the ultimate spoiler. Louisville was 7-1, ranked, and eyeing a spot in the College Football Playoff. Derailing their dream season would have been the perfect consolation prize for a rocky year in Lexington.
Well, Kentucky didn't get the chance. Louisville beat them to the punch.
The Cats and the Cards in a race to the bottom
The Cardinals haven't just stumbled; they have completely collapsed.
- Cal: Lost 29-26 in OT to a team that fired its coach just a few weeks later.
- Clemson: Lost 20-19 in a home meltdown.
- SMU: Destroyed 38-6 in a non-competitive blowout.
That is a freefall that rivals a Mark Stoops season.
The sickos bowl
Instead of a high-stakes clash, Saturday’s Governor’s Cup has turned into a sickos classic. It’s a messy, exhausted, injury-riddled slog between two programs that look like they just want the season to end.
Louisville fans are calling for staff changes. Kentucky fans are questioning if Mark Stoops is the right man for the job. Even recruits are jumping ship, both programs suffered decommitments this week.
The fanbases are tired, apathetic, and not even really trash talking.
It’s chaos on both sides of the rivalry.
What’s left to play for?
Kentucky football vs Louisville football 2025 pic.twitter.com/LBIXFbFgsf
— Kory (@koryhBBN) November 22, 2025
Pride and maybe a bowl game. That’s it.
This game is no longer about rankings or the playoff. It’s about two fanbases who are absolutely fed up, begging their team to survive one more Saturday so they don't have to listen to their coworkers on Monday morning.
Both teams are limping in, physically and emotionally. But someone still has to win the ugliest rivalry game in recent memory.
Drew Holbrook is an avid Kentucky fan who has been covering the Cats for over 10 years. In his free time he enjoys downtime with his family and Premier League soccer. You can find him on X here. Micah 7:7. #UptheAlbion