Kentucky vs. Louisville viewing info, what to watch for, odds, and predictions

It’s rivalry week, which means Kentucky and Louisville will battle for the Governor’s Cup on Saturday at L&N Stadium.

Louisville earned bragging rights in basketball, defeating Kentucky at the KFC Yum! Center earlier this month. Now, Kentucky will try to even the score and earn the bragging rights on the gridiron.

The Wildcats held onto the Governor’s Cup from 2018 to 2023, but lost in an embarrassing 41-14 blowout at Kroger Field last season, where players were getting concessions mid-game. This year, they are looking to bring the trophy back home from a one-year lease.

After finding a second life mid-season, Kentucky is 5-6 and is also looking to win the season finale to become bowl eligible. For Louisville, they have been bowl eligible for a while, but have watched their playoff hopes die after losing three straight.

Kentucky-Louisville is always one of the season’s most emotionally charged contests. Let’s take a look at the matchup.

Health

Entering the last week of the regular season, the injuries have piled up for both teams, and neither will be close to full force on Saturday.

Of course, Kentucky was down more than a dozen players against Vanderbilt, with a large number on the defensive side of the ball. In the game, even more players were injured, including starting tight end Josh Kattus, who has already announced he will miss Saturday’s game, and linebacker Kam Olds.

It’s not clear if anyone will return, but defensive starters Terhyon Nichols and Alex Afari are expected to be close.

As for Louisville, head coach Jeff Brohm announced on Monday that Chris Bell will not suit up for the Cardinals after leaving the field with an injury against SMU. Bell is the latest name to join the injury list, which also includes many of the Cardinals’ best offensive players, including running backs Isaac Brown, Keyjuan Brown, and Duke Watson, and starting quarterback Miller Moss.

Numbers-wise, Kentucky might be down more players, but talent-wise, Louisville may be down more talent. Both coaches are showing a little gamesmanship, so don’t expect final injury reports until the morning of kickoff

Pass Defense

Kentucky got scorched through the air for over 480 yards and five touchdowns against Vanderbilt, the latter a school record.

Fortunately, Louisville’s offense isn’t as explosive as Vanderbilt’s, and on the season, it has struggled with passing the ball. Despite being in a pass-favoring offense, Louisville ranks 111th in EPA per passing play. Over the past five games, they have averaged less than 170 passing yards per game. In comparison, for the faults Kentucky’s offense has had, they have averaged more than 240 passing yards over the last five games.

Of the 14 players who missed the Vanderbilt to injury, six were defensive backs. That impacts the defense severely. However, the hope is that Nasir Addison and Terhyon Nichols are two DBs who will return for the season finale.

Control the Pace

Over the years, one of the biggest criticisms of Mark Stoops’ offense is the pace, or lack thereof. For many seasons, Kentucky has ranked at the bottom of the country in plays per game. This year, Kentucky is in the top 50 in plays per game with 70.1.

Meanwhile, Louisville is the team playing with the slow offense, averaging just 66 plays per game, ranked 100th nationally.

Mark Stoops has been a master in controlling the game through pace in the past, at least by slowing it down. Can he control the pace of this game with a quicker offense?

Kentucky Wildcats Football vs. Louisville Cardinals

• Game Time: 12:00 PM ET on November 29th, 2025

• Location: L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium in Louisville, KY

• TV Channel: ACC Network

• Announcers: Jorge Sedano, Rodney McLeod, and Victoria Arlen will call the action.

• Online Stream: ESPN+ and the ESPN app.

• Radio: Tom Leach and Jeff Piecoro have the UK radio call on the UK Sports Network.

• Satellite Radio: XM Channel 203, Sirius Channel 98, Internet Channel 966

• Replay: ESPN+ and SEC Network (check local listings).

• Rosters: UK | UofL

• Stats To Know: UK | UofL

• Advanced Stats

• Weather.com Forecast

• Odds: FanDuel Sportsbook has Louisville as a 2.5-point underdog, with an over/under of 47.5. ESPN gives the Wildcats a near coin-flip chance at the victory at 47.1%. Meanwhile, DRatings.com has Kentucky as a considerable underdog, giving them just a 29.6% chance to win.

• Predictions: DRatings.com has the Cats losing by a touchdown with no extra point, 27-21. TeamRankings is a little more optimistic, but still projecting Kentucky to lose by a field goal, 24-21. Of the two teams, I think Louisville is in a worse position despite having the better record, as they have a lot of top talent out and have lost three straight after having hopes of a playoff berth. I take Kentucky to show more fight and to win 24-21.