When it comes to MAC dominance, Kentucky has no equal in the SEC
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the University of Kentucky football program’s first season opener against a Mid-American Conference school.
Kentucky opened the 1979 season against Miami (Ohio), the first of 11 instances in which it’s faced off against a MAC foe to start the year. It was also the Wildcats’ third straight loss against a MAC school, and by far the most controversial. Miami won, 15-14, after a clipping penalty against tight end Jim Campbell erased a go-ahead touchdown run by freshman Chris Jones with five seconds to play. UK attempted a 34-yard field goal, but Tommy Griggs’ try veered to the left.
That all transpired after Miami pulled ahead on a two-point conversion with 59 seconds left. The winning drive was extended on a third-and-8 pass interference penalty that, according to then Herald-Leader reporter D.G. FitzMaurice, sent head coach Fran Curci “screaming off the sidelines.”
“I thought it was criminal,” Curci said at the time. “The whole damn thing was criminal. What can you do? They stole the game from our kids.”
Kentucky’s coaches would prefer their 2019 season opener against Toledo, the preseason pick to win the MAC West Division, not come down to the final possession, but one only needs to go back to 2017 to see how so-called “guarantee” games can get dicey: a Hail Mary attempt was picked off by Mike Edwards in the final seconds of the Cats’ 24-20 win over Eastern Michigan that year. UK the year before dropped a 44-35 decision to Southern Miss, a Conference USA opponent, after leading by 18 points at halftime.
MAC foes are a regularity on UK’s schedule. After Toledo this weekend and a rematch with Eastern Michigan next week, Kentucky will have played 37 total games against MAC schools, far more than any other Southeastern Conference program. Only Florida and Vanderbilt are also in double-digit game totals, with 12 each in their respective series against the conference through 2018. Before this season among power-five schools only Indiana, Michigan State, Minnesota and Purdue had played more games against MAC opponents than Kentucky.
UK all-time is 30-5 against the MAC (its 85.7 win percentage is actually better than that of Alabama, which is 3-1 against the conference). The Wildcats were 5-0 until 1971, when Ohio defeated them soundly, 35-6. They fell to Miami, 14-10, in 1974 before the 1979 loss made it three straight defeats against the MAC. Four consecutive wins followed before another loss in 1985 (30-26 to Bowling Green). Kentucky then reeled off 11 straight victories, a streak ending with a 28-16 loss to Ohio in 2004. It’s since won 10 straight against the MAC.
Betonline.ag as of Thursday morning had Kentucky listed as an 11.5-point favorite over Toledo and as a -420 money-line bet (meaning, to win $100, you would have to wager $420). Sportsbooks like the Cats, but the players aren’t taking Toledo lightly.
“When you think of Toledo and all the non-conference games, you tend to think that they’re not as skilled as us and other teams,” UK quarterback Terry Wilson said. “The thing about them, they’re gonna come in and play hard and we just have to make sure that we’re playing how we play football and not worry about any other teams. Just seeing them on film, they’re fast, they’re gonna stack the box. They can tackle, they’re physical. So we just have to make sure that we’re physical too and just go out there and play Kentucky football.”
The MAC will continue to be a regular sight on UK schedules: The school through 2028 has agreed to at least 10 games with MAC schools, according to FBSSchedules.com, including home games against Eastern Michigan and Kent State in 2020. A three-game series with Toledo (home games in 2025 and 2028 and a road game in 2027) was recently announced.
“All you gotta do is be educated a little bit on Toledo to know what kind of program they have,” UK head coach Mark Stoops said. “ ... The MAC in general is always coached well. Those teams are never going to beat themselves, you have to beat them, so we know we’re gonna have our work cut out for us. It’s an opponent that’s not hard for our team to have respect for.”
