Tennessee leads Kentucky by a single game over the past 10 years, according to a statistical breakdown published by Kentucky Sports Radio, which found the rivalry far closer than the Volunteers’ reputation suggests.
Steven Peake, a contributor to the outlet, crunched the series numbers during a recent analysis, Kentucky Sports Radio reported. Over the last decade, the Volunteers have only one more win than the Wildcats. When the comparison is narrowed to SEC opponents only, the gap widens slightly: Tennessee and Kentucky are separated by just two conference wins. The outlet framed the finding as evidence that the series has not felt like 1998 — the year Tennessee last won a national championship — but rather like a rivalry in which Kentucky keeps falling just short.
SEC-Only Wins Nearly Even Between Vols and Cats
The breakdown matters because both programs play most of their meaningful games inside the Southeastern Conference. Restricting the ledger to league play, the two teams are neck and neck, with only two wins separating them over the same 10-year window, according to the Kentucky Sports Radio analysis.
Saturday Night at Neyland Stadium Will Test Will Stein
The teams meet Saturday night at Neyland Stadium, where Tennessee coach Will Stein will look to extend the Volunteers’ slight edge, Kentucky Sports Radio reported. The outlet posed the question directly: whether Stein can turn the tide against a Kentucky program that has struggled to get over the hump in this series. The game is the next step in a rivalry the numbers now describe as remarkably balanced.
What the 10-Year Numbers Actually Show
- Tennessee has one more total win than Kentucky over the last 10 years, per the Steven Peake analysis published by Kentucky Sports Radio.
- In SEC-only games over the same span, the two teams are separated by two wins.
- The next meeting is scheduled for Saturday night at Neyland Stadium, with Tennessee coach Will Stein seeking to extend the lead.
The series ledger, as the analysis lays it out, shows Tennessee with just one more win over the last 10 years — and Kentucky unable to get over the hump.