For the first time since 1987, the Kentucky Wildcats will enter their matchup with the Florida Gators with a chance to win two straight over their SEC East rivals.
Taking down Florida will be no easy task, however, as the unranked Wildcats will host a Gators team ranked ninth in the country in the AP poll and motivated to end last season’s lost. Florida enters the game favored by 10+ points in the major sportsbooks.
Both teams enter play Saturday 2-0 after Kentucky rolled through Toledo and Eastern Michigan, while Florida survived against Miami (FL) and shut out Tennessee-Martin.
For Kentucky, Saturday will mark the beginning of the Sawyer Smith era at quarterback. Terry Wilson suffered a torn patellar tendon in last weekend’s victory over EMU which will force him to miss the entire season.
Smith will now take over as the starter one year removed from starting seven games for the Troy Trojans. He earned Dollar General Bowl MVP honors after throwing for 320 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Trojans past the Buffalo Bulls.
The odds may be stacked against the Wildcats, but they still have the talent to pick up their first win over Florida in Lexington since 1986. And now, they don’t have the pressure of having a three-decade losing streak they need to end.
Stay locked to this stream for everything you need to know leading up to the Kentucky Florida showdown in primetime Saturday night at 7 pm EST on ESPN and online through WatchESPN.