We are 16 days away from the start of the 2026 Kentucky football season. The wait won’t be as long moving forward. Kentucky is changing up the schedule to get an early start to its season in 2027 and 2028. Moving the start of the season to week zero is a genius idea.
How the Cats Used to Open the Season
For a generation of middle-aged Kentucky football fans, the opening kickoff was one of the biggest games of the year. The Governor’s Cup between the Cats and the Cards fueled the conversation through the summer, culminating with a scorching hot matchup on the Sunday of Labor Day weekend that received the bright broadcasting lights of ESPN.
Not only did the game set the tone for the season, but it also served as a national showcase for programs that rarely received national attention. Much has changed since then. Each program has elevated its status, and the media landscape is drastically different.
In 2007, games in Lexington were played in the third week of the season. Louisville hosted the final Labor Day weekend matchup in 2012. When Louisville joined the ACC, ESPN moved the rivalry game to the final weekend of the regular season, along with every other SEC/ACC rivalry.
Kentucky Moves Back into the Spotlight
The first college football games of the season will be played next weekend. There are just eight games on the slate week zero, and only two pop off the page.
North Carolina vs. TCU (Dublin, Ireland) — 12:00 p.m. on ESPN
San Jose State at USC — 3:00 p.m. on NBC
NC State at Virginia — 3:30 p.m. on ESPN
Jacksonville State at North Dakota State — 5:30 p.m. on CBS Sports Network
Sacramento State at Eastern Michigan — 6:30 p.m. on ESPN+
Hawai’i at Stanford — 7:00 p.m. on ACC Network
New Mexico State at Florida State — 7:00 p.m. on The CW
Memphis at UNLV — 10:00 p.m. on FOX / FOX One
College football fans are hungry to watch games, but the pickens are slim in week zero. Kentucky is going to be one of the few who will be in action. The Wildcats will open the 2027 season against Murray State and the 2028 season against Eastern Illinois.
Kentucky will face 10 Power Conference opponents every year. Under those constraints, they will never open the season in a marquee neutral-site event on Labor Day Weekend. Even if this FCS game is relegated to an ESPN+ broadcast, this is a way for the Wildcats to take advantage of a new rule to stand out with fewer games on the slate. Don’t be surprised if Kentucky is the first of many power conference programs to jump at the chance to start the season in week zero.
An Important Competitive Advantage
For fans, this feels like a no-brainer. If you’re going to play an FCS team as a tune-up, the earlier it’s played, the better. What you may be overlooking are the advantages for the team.
The grind of an SEC season is taxing. That will be amplified even more in the 9-game SEC slate that is debuting this fall. Teams will be desperate for a breather. Kentucky just built an extra one into their schedule.
Instead of playing in week three in 2027, the Cats will get a chance to catch their breath before another four- or five-game grind to the bye. Kentucky will get one of its two byes in week five of the 2028 season.
The benefits of two bye weeks are unquantifiable, but don’t be mistaken, it will help the Kentucky football program.