Will Stein has made clear time and time again that he isn't remotely afraid of Kentucky's steep strength of schedule this coming season. Regardless of the expectations that have been set out for this Wildcats football team, their head coach is shooting for the stars.
And while nobody expected him to have it easy, necessarily, the Cats will open conference play (in just the second game of the season) against an absolute Goliath of SEC history: The Alabama Crimson Tide.
Most every meeting between the deep red and blue ends in disaster for the latter, but with energy around Kentucky's football program at an all time high, fans have this one circled as a potential moment of arrival for the Stein era.
Kentucky's matchup with the Crimson Tide was included as one of a handful of "major SEC matchups" in a post from SEC Network on X. With a 3:30 kickoff time officially set, it'll be an early afternoon war between a rising conference hopeful and one of the league's all-time giants.
A Painful One-Sided History
Kentucky's history against the Crimson Tide on the gridiron has been far from anything to write home about, with the Cats winning only two of the programs' 42 total meetings. It's a 39-2-1 lead for Alabama. Big Blue Nation would likely rather forget about that.
A look at a few of the major SEC matchups on our networks in 2026 🍿🏈
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) May 27, 2026
More games being announced on June 10 👀 https://t.co/OcMT04B3db pic.twitter.com/MbdqkONwAr
All the same, the chance to secure a win in this series against a national powerhouse such as Alabama - it would be the first for the blue and white since 1997 - is incredibly compelling, especially in Stein's first year behind the wheel in Lexington.
After what is expected to be a gimme game of sorts against Youngstown State in Stein's first ever game at Kroger Field, the Crimson Tide bring a challenging, yet potentially refreshing sense of competition to the turf.
Shooting For the Stars
Again, Stein will be the first to tell you that he's looking to climb the national mountain at Kentucky. This is not a "bowl game good 'nuff" kind of coach, even if hopes are relatively tempered for his first team at Kentucky.
When Alabama comes to Kroger Field on September 12, and wherever the Wildcats travel afterward in the most competitive conference in football, Will Stein will have his team running directly into the smoke.
For Cats fans, even if you aren't expecting a miraculous postseason run right from the jump, you can almost guarantee that a different kind of energy will possess the home team when Alabama comes to town.
If our guys think anything like their head coach, we could be in for a more exciting contest than most folks are initially expecting.
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