Lions, Tigers, and Bears Oh My!
Well, not quite. Gators, Gamecocks, and Volunteers just don’t have the same cultural punch.

Last month, the SEC finally came to an agreement about whether to adopt an eight or nine game conference schedule. Starting in 2026, the league will move to a nine game conference slate.

Since the arrival of Texas and Oklahoma, the SEC scrapped its traditional East/West division format and embraced more of a “let’s see what works until we figure this out” approach. The conference wanted to preserve historic rivalries while ensuring all programs big and small get their shot at the spotlight. As a result, each team will now have three annual opponents.

According to a report from On3’s Chris Low, Kentucky’s yearly trio will be Florida, South Carolina, and Tennessee. The SEC is expected to make the official announcement Tuesday during a televised reveal.

This means the annual matchup with SEC West rival Mississippi State is no more. Also gone the yearly beatdowns (and heartbreak) at the hands of Kirby Smart’s Georgia Bulldogs and yes, that was still an interception by the way.
Would it have killed the SEC to throw Vandy in there so we could beat them again like the good ole days before Diego Pavia became an internet sensation.

But alas, it is what it is. Onward to the future.

Unfortunately, Kentucky’s all-time record against these three teams doesn’t exactly scream “easy path”:

• Florida: 21 wins, 54 losses
• South Carolina: 14 wins, 21 losses, 1 tie
• Tennessee: 20 wins, 80 losses, 8 ties

Yeah… that hurt to type.

Still, under Mark Stoops, Kentucky has been much more competitive in recent years. They finally broke that seemingly endless streak against Florida, had a nice little run of wins over South Carolina (can we get that back, please?), and even managed to sneak a few wins past Tennessee.

Looking further ahead, there’s hope. The SEC plans to reevaluate these annual matchups every four years, opening the door for potential shake-ups down the road.

And who knows maybe by then Kentucky will be a national powerhouse. Maybe it won’t matter who’s on the schedule, because it’ll be Cats by 90, baby.