Kentucky–Vanderbilt football rivalry
| First meeting | October 10, 1896 Vanderbilt, 6–0 |
|---|---|
| Latest meeting | October 12, 2024 Vanderbilt, 20–13 |
| Next meeting | November 22, 2025 |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 97 |
| All-time series | Kentucky, 48–44–4 |
| Largest victory | Kentucky, 53–2 (1978) |
| Longest win streak | Vanderbilt, 9 (1896–1918) |
| Current win streak | Vanderbilt, 1 (2024–present) |
The Kentucky–Vanderbilt football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the Kentucky Wildcats football team of the University of Kentucky and Vanderbilt Commodores football team of Vanderbilt University. The rivalry between these two schools, located about 181 miles (291 km) apart, dates to their first meeting in 1896. They are founding members of the Southeastern Conference (SEC), and were both members of the SEC's Eastern Division with a total of 97 meetings. This rivalry is Kentucky's second longest behind Tennessee and Vanderbilt's third behind Ole Miss and Tennessee. Kentucky leads the series 48–44–4.
41 of the 97 games have been decided by 7 points or less. Kentucky has shut out Vanderbilt 6 times, while Vanderbilt has shut out Kentucky 15 times, 10 of which were from 1896 to 1920. The rivalry is one of the most evenly matched in the SEC.