Where Kentucky stands in the all-time rivalry record against Louisville

The Governor's Cup may be one of the most heated rivalries across the country, but it's not very old. While it dates back to 1912 as the first matchup, it didn't last long. They played four times in a row and stopped after the Kentucky Wildcats won all four of those games. The game was revived in 1922 and 1924 but quickly ceased again until 1994.

The rivalry became known as the Governor's Cup in 1994, when the Governor of Kentucky, Brereton Jones, presented the trophy at the end of the game. The rivalry's history was one-sided until the 1990s, when Kentucky won all six contests before it was officially called the Governor's Cup.

They won the first meeting, but it was competitive; the final score was 20-14. It was due to former Kentucky player and current head coach Howard Schnellenberger, who helped bring the Louisville Cardinals up to a certain standard of excellence. He would need to leave before the Cardinals would get their first win in the rivalry in 1995, with a final score of 13-10.

Louisville slowly crept back into the all-time rivalry records, making it so that since 1994, they actually hold the series lead 15-14. The series is 20-15 all-time when you date it all the way back to the original contest.

This is why the contest has been so heated and competitive, as, since 1994, the series has essentially been tied and close in many of those games. Both programs having up and down seasons over this time. However, Kentucky is on a hot streak with five straight victories in the Governor's Cup. It hasn't left been in Louisville since 2017. The Governor's Cup trophy has safely made a home in the Kentucky Wildcats trophy case, but head coach Mark Stoops and company aren't ready to send it back.

The Last Governor's Cup

Kentucky won 38-31 in a shootout, with quarterback Devin Leary putting up 206 yards on 3 touchdowns. However, it was mostly a Ray Davis show. He was electric with 76 yards rushing and one touchdown on the ground; he added two more touchdowns in the receiving game.