Louisville and Kentucky will keep their in-state rivalry going for a few more years. According to documents acquired by The Courier-Journal, the two schools agreed to a contract extension to their scheduling agreement for three more games to be played in 2020, 2021, and 2022.
As noted, the extension is not necessarily groundbreaking news, as the deal was worked out in 2016, but the confirmed dates for the schedule have been mapped out, with the games locked in for the final game of the regular season. Louisville will host Kentucky on November 28, 2020 and again on November 26, 2022. Kentucky will host the Cardinals on November 27, 2021.
The continuation of the series makes sense for both schools for a variety of reasons, but it most notably will satisfy the non-conference scheduling requirements for both schools through 2022. Both the ACC and SEC require conference members to schedule at least one power conference opponent each season. Playing each other satisfies those conference requirements. Louisville will actually be playing multiple power conference opponents through 2021 with games also scheduled against Alabama (2018 in Orlando) and Ole Miss (Atlanta in 2021) and Notre Dame on the ACC schedule rotation. After 2022 remains in question.
Louisville is scheduled to play Indiana in Indianapolis in 2023. Notre Dame is also scheduled to be on Louisville’s schedule that same season. Adding Kentucky would fill out Louisville’s schedule with a third power conference opponent, which may be not-so-desirable for the Cardinals. Kentucky has no other power conference opponent besides Louisville scheduled in non-conference play through 2022 at this time.
The two schools have faced each other on an annual basis since 1994. Kentucky won last year’s game, 41-38, and leads the series in that span, 15-14.