With no championships on the line, this Tennessee-Kentucky game still means something

Despite sharing a border and only being separated by less than 200 miles, Tennessee-Kentucky has never been much of a rivalry in terms of parity.

Twice in the last 30-plus years Kentucky beaten their Appalachian neighbors, including last season when the Wildcats knocked off Tennessee in Lexington, 29-26. A Jarrett Guarantano hail Mary as time expired was hauled in by Jeff George before being stopped inside the five with no time left on the clock.

But even with Kentucky’s two recent wins in the past three decades, it is a game that has been largely dominated by Tennessee, who holds a convincing 79-25-9 lead in the overall series.