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If you're reading this then you probably already know what the Governor's Cup is, but if not, the Governor's Cup is awarded every year to the winner of the annual rivalry game between Kentucky and Louisville.
The first ever meeting between the two teams was way back in 1912 in which Kentucky dominated by a score of 41-0. There was only six games played between the years 1912-1924 and then the rivalry was suspended for a whopping seventy years and didn't resume until 1994 with a new Governor's Cup trophy like the one displayed above.
So from the year 1994 up until 2006, the Governor's Cup rivalry was played on the opening week of the college football season, however, in 2014 Louisville moved to the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and then the rivalry game was moved to the final weekend of the college football's regular season circling Thanksgiving weekend. This years meeting will be the 35th all-time meeting for the Governor's Cup and even though Kentucky has had Louisville's number the last few years, the all-time matchup has been closer than you would think. Kentucky does lead the all-time series 19-15, but Louisville did manage several victories in the early 2000's and in between 2011-2017. The last four years though, Kentucky has owned the rivalry in dominant fashion as Kentucky has out-scored the Cardinals 179-57.
The Wildcats will have their work cut out for them this round if they want to extend their winning streak in the Governor's Cup to five straight victories as the Cardinals - led by Jeff Brohm - have had an incredible year as they are currently 10-1 and ranked inside the top-10 of the AP Poll at ninth.
Yesterday, Kentucky sophomore, Deone Walker, had this to say about the Louisville Cardinals and their fanbase as he preps for the matchup.
There has been some obvious questions and concerns about the state of the Kentucky football program and rightfully so. However, one thing that most everyone on this team has in common is their disliking of the younger brother program of Louisville.
Defensive coordinator, Brad White, had this to say about the teams excitement level going into the final game of the season against Louisville.
A win this Saturday against a top-10 ranked rival such as Louisville won't heal all of the wounds of what most would consider as a disappointing year for Kentucky Football. But, I do believe that it would definitely go a long way for the fan morale before the bowl game arrives. There is a big difference in a 6-6 season versus a 7-5 season plus beating your biggest rival for in-state bragging rights. Like I said, it will definitely will not be a fix-all thing, but if you manage to beat the Cardinals this Saturday that will help reward everyone involved who has been frustrated as of late, and also keep the streak alive for coach Mark Stoops of having consecutive years with two wins versus top-25 ranked opponents.
The game is scheduled for a noon kickoff inside of L&N Stadium.
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