Kentucky's First Trip to Oklahoma Since 1980 is Another Sign of New SEC Era

Sooners On SI will break down Oklahoma's 2026 schedule, opponent by opponent, for a series dubbed "Know Your Foe." You can look forward to an opponent breakdown each day. Catch up by checking out the preview of the Texas Longhorns.

You sign up for SEC play to do battle with the Alabamas and the Georgias of the conference. Those are not only the money-maker matchups your fanbases drool over for months, but they also act as a litmus test for your program. Are you worth of chasing a championship, or are you cannon fodder for the elites?

What gets forgotten is that the dates against the South Carolinas, Mississippi States and the Vanderbilts is where your season can truly stumble—just ask the 2024 Oklahoma Sooners.

With that, the Sooners will welcome the Kentucky Wildcats to Norman for the first time since a home-and-home series that began in 1980. Obviously, that was a September non-conference showdown. This time, the Wildcats arrive as a new SEC foe, forcing OU to shake off the emotional high or low from the Red River Rivalry the prior week and refocus at home.

How will the Sooners fare against the Wildcats? But first, some history.

Past Battles

Marcus Dupree, Oklahoma Sooner — Sep 18, 1982; Lexington, KY, Oklahoma Sooners running back Marcus Dupree in action against the Kentucky Wildcats at Commonwealth Stadium. | Malcolm Emmons-Imagn Images

The Wildcats came to Norman for the first and only time in 1980. That ended with an interesting 29-7 victory for the home team — it was tied at 7 going into the fourth quarter before Oklahoma scored 22 in the final period. That Sooner team would go on to win the Big Eight and the Orange Bowl.

The Sooners returned the favor by going to Lexington in 1982, again winning 29-8. That time, OU dominated from start to finish.

The first time these two programs met was in the 1951 Sugar Bowl, with Kentucky besting the Sooners 13-7. This was during Oklahoma's first national championship season—in those days, bowl games were exhibition rewards for players and fans, with the champion being named prior. That matchup pitted coaching legends Bud Wilkinson against Bear Bryant.

New UK head coach Will Stein has never faced Brent Venables in any capacity, but he served as Texas's quality control assistant from 2015-17, going 1-2 against the Sooners.

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Returning Starters

Tavion Gadson, Kentucky Wildcat — Kentucky Wildcats defensive lineman Tavion Gadson stops Eastern Michigan Eagles wide receiver Antonio Floyd | Matt Stone/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

With a new administration, most of Kentucky's offseason has been focused on bringing in new talent. Fortunately for Stein, he inherited a few good players to ease the transition.

Defensive tackle Tavion Gadson was a force with last year's Wildcat team. After bouncing back from a season-ending injury in 2024, Gadson returned with 28 tackles, two sacks and four tackles for loss.

Cornerback Ty Bryant had a loud junior season in 2025 with four interceptions (led the SEC) and 76 total tackles. His efforts helped him earn All-SEC Second Team honors.

Bryant is joined in the secondary by Terhyon Nichols, who was having a nice season until a knee injury sidelined him for the remainder of the year.

New Faces

Jovantae Barnes, Kentucky Wildcats — Oklahoma Sooners running back Jovantae Barnes reacts after rushing for a touchdown against the Temple Owls i | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

Twenty-nine new players will call Lexington home in 2026—for reference, Oklahoma gained 16 new players in the transfer portal.

Two of those 29 players have Sooner ties. Former funning back Jovantae Barnes endured a self-imposed sit-out following his fourth appearance of the season in 2025. That earned Barnes a redshirt year, which will allow him to return to Norman wearing Kentucky blue.

Nic Anderson, who spent last season at LSU, spent his first two seasons at Oklahoma from 2022-23. His late-game heroics against Texas in 2023 seemed to cement him in Sooner lore for the ages, but the transfer portal has a way of washing away past glory.

Top transfers like quarterback Kenny Minchey (formerly Notre Dame), tackle Lance Heard (Tennessee, LSU) and guard Coleton Price (Baylor) will factor heavily into Kentucky's 2026 campaign.

Key Departures

Dante Dowdell, Georgia Bulldog — Kentucky Wildcats running back Dante Dowdell runs the ball during the fourth quarter against the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles at Kroger Field. | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

Dante Dowdell's 570 yards rushing — five yards a carry — and seven touchdowns walked out the door to Georgia during the offseason.

UK's secondary took a hit when underclassmen Quay’sheed Scott chose to return to his native South Carolina to play for the Gamecocks. Logging nearly 500 snaps, 39 tackles and one interception, Scott's departure hampered the defense.

Former starting quarterback Cutter Boley transferred to Arizona State after throwing for 15 touchdowns.

Oklahoma Sooners, Brent Venables — Oklahoma coach Brent Venables | Carson Field, Sooners On SI

Even in the Big 12 era, the week following the Texas game was a test in itself. Can Oklahoma handle success in Dallas immediatley after, or do they suffer from an emotional hangover.

Since 2000, the Sooners have been near-excellent in that regard. But in only two years in the SEC, the Sooners have a 1-1 record following Red River.

The Will Stein ere has an unforgiving start with a home game against Alabama and a road contest against Texas A&M in September. Then they will be hosting Lane Kiffin and LSU when Oklahoma is dealing with Texas.

Kentucky begins the second half of Oklahoma's schedule following their three-game test of Michigan-Georgia-Texas. Depending on the Sooners' record, the Wildcats stand as a test despite the talent gap.