Kentucky and South Carolina don't have a football rivalry. They never have and never will. They've been members of the same conference for only 27 years, and while they've played each of the last 26 seasons, there are only 28 all-time matchups. South Carolina did, however, deliver a painful blow to one of the best Kentucky teams of all time, and Big Blue Nation would love payback.
Kentucky's win over Mississippi State in Week 4 gave the Wildcats their first 4-0 start and first AP ranking since 2007. Eleven years ago, the Wildcats beat ninth-ranked Louisville and an eventual eight-win Arkansas team to reach 5-0 for the first time since 1984. The eighth-ranked Wildcats, led Andre Woodson, Rafael Little, Stevie Johnson and Jeremy Jarmon, rolled into Columbia for a Week 6 game against South Carolina, who four weeks earlier beat Georgia in Athens.
Kentucky held the Gamecocks to 86 rushing yards but committed a season-high five turnovers in a 38-23 loss, their eighth straight in the series. It was the first of five losses in their final seven regular-season games, and while they did beat top-ranked LSU nine days later, instead of competing for the program's third-ever 10-win season and their second-ever outright SEC championship, Kentucky finished the season 8-5 with a win over Florida State in the Music City Bowl.
Eleven years later, Kentucky is 4-0, has one of the most talented teams in program history — led by Heisman contender Benny Snell Jr. — and hosts South Carolina with a chance to take a big step toward SEC East contention and the third-ever 10-win season.
MORE: Kentucky's Favorable Playoff Path
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