The moment we’ve been waiting for is finally almost here. The new 16-team era of the SEC begins when Kentucky hosts South Carolina at Kroger Field. Before the action begins at 3:45 pm EST on ABC, take in a few last-minute stats, facts, and numbers you need to know about this highly-anticipated matchup.

-6 — Kentucky’s turnover margin in three meetings against Shane Beamer.

0 — Third down conversions allowed by the Kentucky defense after the second Southern Miss drive. The Golden Eagles converted on just 3-of-9 attempts on third and fourth down a year after finishing ranked in the 100s in third down defense.

2 — True freshmen earned starting assignments in week one for the South Carolina offense, including left tackle Josiah Thompson.

3 — Straight years in which Barion Brown recorded a touchdown in the season-opener. He’s the first Kentucky Wildcat to do so since Marc Logan in 1985-86.

4 — Different coaching stints for Eric Wolford at South Carolina and Kentucky. He spent one season with Steve Spurrier in 2009. He was the offensive line coach at South Carolina from 2017-20 before joining Mark Stoops’ staff in 2021. He returned to Lexington this spring after two years at Alabama.

5 — Sacks by South Carolina in week one. Kyle Kennard and former five-star prospect Dylan Stewart combined for four sacks.

6 — Straight loss for South Carolina in SEC openers. Kentucky has won five of its last six SEC openers.

9 — Complete passes by LaNorris Sellers in week one. He scrambled seven times and was sacked four times while connecting with his pass-catchers on 43% of his attempts.

10 — Kentucky interceptions have been returned for touchdowns since 2020, tied for the most among any FBS program. Maxwell Hairston had two in one game last fall against Vanderbilt. The cornerback and Jordan Lovett each have five career picks, the most by any active Wildcat.

11.1 — Projected margin of victory for Kentucky, according to ESPN’s SP+.

14 — Carries by Kentucky running backs in week one. The QB and WRs combined for 10 rushing attempts in the abbreviated game.

18 — Points are the most scored by the team who lost over the last eight meetings in this series. The under is 8-1 in the last nine meetings between Kentucky and South Carolina. This week’s total is 42.5.

19 — Kentucky first downs in only 44 snaps against Southern Miss. The Wildcats moved the chains once every 2.3 plays.

27 — Straight games with a reception for Kentucky’s Barion Brown.

51 — Career games played by Zion Childress, the most of any active Kentucky Wildcat, even more than seventh-year senior OL Marques Cox.

56 — Rushing attempts by South Carolina in its week one 23-19 win over Old Dominion, the most rushing attempts in a game for the Gamecocks since 2016.

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The Kentucky Wildcats are set to host the South Carolina Gamecocks in one of the more important week two SEC games.

The question is who will cover in this football game? On the morning of gameday, the line currently sits at 8.5 in favor of the Wildcats. When it comes to who will cover this line, it comes down to how the Kentucky Wildcats offense plays.

Kentucky’s defense is elite and should be able to slow LaNorris Sellers and a South Carolina offense that likes to run the ball. If Brock Vandagriff and the Kentucky offense move the ball like they did against Southern Miss, they will win this football game at home by two touchdowns. If South Carolina has a good day on defense, this will turn into a rock fight, and the Gamecocks will cover.

The Kentucky Wildcats will cover the -8.5-point line at home on Saturday as this team knows that a win will likely lead to College GameDay coming to Lexington for the Wildcat’s matchup with #1 Georgia.

Let’s take a look at how to watch the Kentucky Wildcats take on the South Carolina Gamecocks.

Kickoff between the Kentucky Wildcats and South Carolina Gamecocks will take place at 3:30 pm ET on Saturday, and this football game can be watched on ABC.

The Kentucky Wildcats have College GameDay on their mind, and the only thing in the way is the Gamecocks. With this in mind, Mark Stoops’s team covers the line as the Kentucky offense stays hot, beating South Carolina 28-17.

One of the biggest rivalries in college basketball is an in-state rivalry between the Kentucky Wildcats and the Louisville Cardinals. During this offseason, both of these two schools hired a new coach. The Kentucky Wildcats hired Mark Pope, and the Louisville Cardinals hired Pat Kelsey.

In a short period of time, both of these coaches used the transfer portal to bring a ton of talent into their programs. Both Kentucky and Louisville have a ton of veteran talent that should help these teams be in the hunt once the NCAA Tournament rolls around.

At a recent event, Coach Pope and Kelsey got together, and Louisville’s coach had some great things to say about the Wildcat’s new coach. Coach Kelsey had this to say about what Coach Pope has built in a short time in Lexington.

“I’ve paid very close attention to what Mark has done and what he’s built. He’s underselling it, he’s like Noah’s Ark. He’s got two of everything.”

– Pat Kelsey on Mark Pope

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While this is one of college basketball’s biggest rivalries, it is great to hear that these two coaches have a ton of respect for one another. When the Cardinals come to Lexington early in the season, it will be one of the best games of the year.

Coach Pope has a really good 2024-25 roster, and Kentucky fans should be happy to hear that Coach Kelsey had high praise for Coach Pope and his team. The Kentucky vs. Louisville rivalry is back and it’s going to be really good for a long time.