he future of the SEC football schedule has arrived a day early. In a major leak reported by On3's Chris Low, the three permanent annual opponents for all 16 conference teams have been revealed ahead of the SEC's planned announcement. This new model, built for a nine-game conference schedule, will define the rivalries and challenges for years to come. It also will impact everything from recruiting to bowl games. Get stuck with 3 really hard opponents and it may ruin your season.
For the Kentucky Wildcats, the new slate cements a challenging but familiar trio of yearly opponents, creating what could be considered a new "triangle of hate" in the SEC. Kentucky's three permanent rivals are the Florida Gators, the South Carolina Gamecocks, and the Tennessee Volunteers.
All 3 teams are familiar foes having been in the old SEC East and playing almost yearly. Man do I miss the divisional format of the SEC. Conference consolidation is just not fun. Anyway, let's deep dive into the matchup history.
A new triangle of hate: Breaking down Kentucky's rivals
This trio of opponents represents the core of Kentucky's modern rivalries. These are the programs against whom the Wildcats have measured their progress for the last decade, with the series swinging from frustrating to competitive to, at times, dominant.
Florida Gators
This is the big one. For decades, this series was a painful annual loss for the Wildcats. But the narrative has completely flipped recently, making it one of the most competitive and anticipated games on the schedule. Plus, it is also a really fun basketball game rivalry.
- All-Time Record: Florida leads 54-21
- Last 5 Games: Kentucky leads 3-2
South Carolina Gamecocks
The annual Shane Beamer-Mark Stoops hate fest has become a true toss-up rivalry defined by close games and bad blood. With the programs often competing for the same recruits and position in the SEC pecking order, this game always carries significant weight.
- All-Time Record: South Carolina leads 21-14-1
- Last 5 Games: South Carolina leads 3-2
Tennessee Volunteers
Despite being a border rival, this has been the most lopsided series for the Wildcats. While Kentucky has struggled to find consistent success against the Volunteers, the games are always filled with passion and intensity. Solidifying this as an annual matchup keeps one of the SEC's most historic rivalries intact. Can we bring back the barrel already?
- All-Time Record: Tennessee leads 85-26-9
- Last 5 Games: Tennessee leads 4-1
The full list: Every SEC team's permanent rivals
The leak revealed the three annual opponents for every team in the conference. The best rivalries were preserved and some new ones will be started.
- Alabama: Auburn, Tennessee, Mississippi State
- Arkansas: Missouri, Texas, LSU
- Auburn: Alabama, Georgia, Vanderbilt
- Florida: Georgia, South Carolina, Kentucky
- Georgia: Auburn, Florida, South Carolina
- Kentucky: Florida, Tennessee, South Carolina
- LSU: Arkansas, Ole Miss, Texas A&M
- Mississippi State: Alabama, Ole Miss, Vanderbilt
- Missouri: Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas A&M
- Oklahoma: Missouri, Ole Miss, Texas
- Ole Miss: Mississippi State, LSU, Oklahoma
- South Carolina: Georgia, Florida, Kentucky
- Tennessee: Alabama, Kentucky, Vanderbilt
- Texas: Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas A&M
- Texas A&M: LSU, Missouri, Texas
- Vanderbilt: Auburn, Mississippi State, Tennessee
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