Hopes are high for Louisville football in Jeff Brohm’s second season as head coach. The Cardinals narrowly missed the top 25 preseason coaches, coming in at number 27 with 95 votes, ten spots ahead of Kentucky.
So, kudos to David Cobb of CBS Sports for putting the Cards back in their place today. Cobb listed the best college football teams in each state and confirmed that Kentucky, not Louisville, is the leader in the Commonwealth. His reasoning? Kentucky’s surprise 38-31 victory over the No. 10 Cards last November in Louisville was proof that Mark Stoops is still superior to his in-state rival.
“Louisville won 10 games in 2023, compared to Kentucky’s seven. But when the Wildcats visited the ‘Ville in the final game of the regular season, they went home with a 38-31 victory, their fifth straight win in the series. Jeff Brohm has put the Cardinals on a winning path, but Mark Stoops’ program is not yet dethroned.”
Kentucky beating Louisville despite trailing by nearly 10 points wasn’t even the craziest thing that happened on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Rumors that Stoops would take the job at Texas A&M had been circulating long before kickoff, but aside from the usual pregame jockeying, the Cats kept their composure — even after falling behind by two points in the first half. Barion Brown and Ray Davis were the heroes in the second half, combining for four touchdowns, including Davis’ game-winning goal with a minute left.
Despite the drama that followed hours later, this victory was glorious. Simply glorious.
You can read the rest of Cobb’s list at CBS Sports, and be sure to put down your Ls. The next chapter of the rivalry takes place on Saturday, November 30th at Kroger Field.
