It's one of the most puzzling trends of the Mark Stoops era at Kentucky: the team's consistent struggle after a bye week. As the Wildcats come off their first bye of 2025, the historical data suggests that the week off is often more of a hindrance than a help. Stoops is actively trying to change his prep for that very reason, but what does his record actually look like, and why does this happen?
Mark Stoops' bye week history (6-10)
WHY DID MARK STOOPS JUST CALL TIMEOUT TO STOP THE CLOCK WITH 41 SECONDS LEFT IN THE HALF AND THEN DECIDE TO PUNT???
— PELS YEAR. BBN (@pelsyear) September 20, 2025
(just making sure I stay fresh during the bye week)
A deep dive into the numbers shows a clear pattern of difficulty. Since 2013, Mark Stoops has a career record of 6-10 in games immediately following a bye week.
- 2024: 1-1 (L to Vanderbilt, W vs Murray State)
- 2023: 0-1 (L to Tennessee)
- 2022: 0-1 (L at Tennessee)
- 2021: 0-1 (L at Mississippi State)
- 2020: 1-0 (W vs Vanderbilt)
- 2019: 1-0 (W vs Arkansas)
- 2018: 1-0 (W vs Vanderbilt)
- 2017: 0-1 (L at Mississippi State)
- 2016: 1-0 (W vs Mississippi State)
- 2015: 0-1 (L vs Auburn)
- 2014: 1-1 (W vs Vanderbilt, L at Louisville)
- 2013: 0-2 (L vs Florida, L at Mississippi State)
Why do teams struggle after a bye?
It all really boils down to coaching success. A bye week can disrupt a team's rhythm and routine. Players get used to the weekly cadence of practice, meetings, and the emotional buildup to a game. A week off can sometimes lead to a "flat" start as the team struggles to recapture that intensity. It can also lead to overthinking, with coaches having two weeks to install a game plan, sometimes adding too many wrinkles and creating confusion. Coaches have to know how to self-scout and correct but without over correcting. They also have to keep players focues and ready, something Mark Stoops isn't know for.
By comparison, other coaches in the region have had varied success. Louisville's Jeff Brohm is an impressive 8-4, while Vanderbilt's Clark Lea is 2-3 at Vandy. There is no magic formula though. As Stoops searches for a new approach, Kentucky fans are hoping this is the year the bye week blues finally come to an end.
Drew Holbrook is an avid Kentucky fan who has been covering the Cats for over 10 years. In his free time he enjoyes downtime with his family and Premier League soccer. You can find him on X here.Micah 7:7. #UptheAlbion