BTI's Rants and Ramblings: Ranking Mark Stoops' 49 Wins at Kentucky

Mark Stoops is very likely to earn his 50th win at the University of Kentucky in a couple of weeks, making him only the second coach in school history to reach that mark along with Bear Bryant. Some of those previous 49 wins have been hard to watch, some of them have been historic, and they have come in a variety of ways. Some were done with offense and some with defense. But ultimately, no matter how pretty, UK came out on top 49 times.

So I’ve ranked those 49 Mark Stoops wins into four tiers. The top-tier wins are those that were historic, memorable, and program-defining. The second tier is largely games that we enjoyed for whatever reason, our fans will always have fond memories of, but weren’t significant beyond that. The third tier is games that stay in the back of your mind but had really no significance. The fourth tier is games you probably don’t even remember happening.

TIER 1: UNFORGETTABLE

#1. 2018: Kentucky 27, Penn State 24 – Say what you want about the #2 game on this list, this game means more. To beat a national powerhouse in a New Year’s Day bowl, to finish off a 10-win season, all of that is unheard of in modern UK football. The will likely be the pinnacle of the Mark Stoops era because it required so many great things to happen that season.

#2. 2016: Kentucky 41, Louisville 38 – I mean, Lamar’s fumble will go down in immortality. This was a key marker of when the rivalry began to shift to UK. UK beat the Heisman Trophy winner on his home field with Bobby Petrino’s “best” team. It didn’t get any better in the rivalry, especially in football, than this game.

#3. 2018: Kentucky 27, Florida 16 – Breaking that streak might be Mark Stoops’ greatest accomplishment. And the Cats did it by basically dominating the game. Terry Wilson showed his flashes and the UK defense was dominant. Fans knew something special was brewing after this night.

#4. 2014: Kentucky 45, South Carolina 37 – The night the Stoops era finally arrived in Lexington. Lots of factors here. Beating Steve Spurrier for just the second time in 22 tries. The comeback in the fourth quarter. And the Bud Dupree interception return for the win made it one of the loudest nights at Commonwealth (Kroger Field).

#5. 2018: Kentucky 15, Missouri 14 – Maybe the most improbable win in modern UK history. And for it to occur during that magical season and with Terry Wilson leading the charge with his arm, just an unforgettable game. It would have been a terribly forgettable game had UK lost.

#6. 2016: Kentucky 40, Mississippi State 38 – This will forever be the moment Austin MacGinnis might have saved Mark Stoops’ job. One of the best pure football games in recent memory for UK.

TIER 2: OH YEAH, THOSE WERE FUN

#7. 2020: Kentucky 34, Tennessee 7 – I think, without question, the most unexpected score in UK football history. Sure, we thought we could win. But to beat our biggest nemesis, on their home field, by three touchdowns plus? C’mon now. Just absolute enjoyment to watch their fanbase implode for 60 minutes. Domination.

#8. 2019: Kentucky 37, Virginia Tech 30 – This game was not significant enough to make the top tier but the performance of Lynn Bowden, including THROWING a touchdown pass to win a bowl game, makes it one we can enjoy forever.

#9. 2017: Kentucky 29, Tennessee 26 – I would still argue Stephen Johnson’s windmill into the endzone is an all-time great UK play and beating Tennessee to do it makes it even sweeter.

#10. 2015: Kentucky 26, South Carolina 22 – Kentucky’s first road win in FIVE YEARS! And a game they dominated for much of the game before hanging on late. The significance of winning on the road makes this important.

#11. 2018: Kentucky 28, Mississippi State 7 – UK had not curb-stomped a ranked opponent like that in quite a long time. The Mark Stoops style of play was in full effect that night. Punishing ground game and Josh Allen at his greatest.

#12. 2019: Kentucky 45, Louisville 13 – At least Louisville tried to put up a fight in this one but this game, even more than the previous year, showed how far the two programs were now separated.

#13. 2018: Kentucky 56, Louisville 10 – The game was only interesting because we thrashed our rivals. But I think that game was more about the absolutely pathetic, quitters’ effort by UofL that night. A fitting end to the Bobby Petrino era.

#14. 2017: Kentucky 23, South Carolina: 13 – Memorable for the Stephen Johnson scramble to clinch the game, including the sticking out of the tongue.

#16. 2015: Kentucky 21, Missouri 13 – Kentucky’s first win over a ranked opponent under Stoops. Not much memorable from the game but just another step forward in the program

#17. 2017: Kentucky 24, Southern Miss 17 – I think this game was memorable because it’s one of the few times UK took a chance on a non-conference road game. And they had to gut out a tough win in the season opener. One of those games that could derail a season.

#18. 2013: Kentucky 41, Miami (OH) 7 – The first win of the Mark Stoops era. Didn’t come against a great team and nothing significant happened in the game but it was the first of 49 wins, so we’d have to call it memorable.

#19. 2020: Kentucky 23, NC State 21 – A bowl win is a bowl win. Those are always fun. But this actually was a pretty sloppy game. And I think 10 years from now it will be one of the more forgettable bowl wins of the Stoops era.

#20. 2019: Kentucky 24, Arkansas 20: The Lynn Bowden quarterback era is born.

TIER 3: I GUESS THESE HAPPENED

#21. 2015: Kentucky 40, UL-Lafayette 33 – This wasn’t a high point for UK under Mark Stoops because it was a disappointing result. But it was an entertaining game and UK pulled out a last-minute win to open that season. Who scored it? Do we remember Mikel Horton?

#21. 2015: Kentucky 34, Eastern Kentucky 27 (OT) – Not the kind of win that UK was expecting Year 3 of the Stoops era. Although an exciting game though.

#22. 2014: Kentucky 17, Vanderbilt 7 – The first SEC win of the Stoops era and broke a 17-game SEC losing streak. But still one of the worst played football games in league history.

#23. 2016: Kentucky 62, New Mexico State 42: So the Cats got pushed in this game but it still remains the highest-scoring game of the Stoops era.

TIER 4: FORGOT THEM THE DAY AFTER THEY HAPPENED

#24. 2017: Kentucky 40, Missouri 34
#25. 2018: Kentucky 24, South Carolina 10
#26. 2020: Kentucky 38, Vanderbilt 35
#27. 2019: Kentucky 29, Missouri 7
#28. 2020: Kentucky 24, Mississippi State 2
#29. 2016: Kentucky 17, South Carolina 10
#30. 2016: Kentucky 35, Missouri 21
#31. 2018: Kentucky 14, Vanderbilt 7
#32. 2017: Kentucky 44, Vanderbilt 21
#33. 2016: Kentucky 20, Vanderbilt 13
#34. 2019: Kentucky 38, Vanderbilt 14
#35. 2020: Kentucky 41, South Carolina 18
#36. 2017: Kentucky 27, Eastern Kentucky 16
#37. 2018: Kentucky 34, MTSU 23
#38. 2019: Kentucky 38, Eastern Michigan 17
#39. 2014: Kentucky 20, Ohio 3
#40. 2017: Kentucky 24, Eastern Michigan 20
#41. 2014: Kentucky 48, UL-Monroe 14
#42. 2016: Kentucky 49, Austin Peay 13
#43. 2019: Kentucky 38, Toldeo 24
#44. 2018: Kentucky 35, Central Michigan 20
#45. 2018: Kentucky 48, Murray State 10
#46. 2013: Kentucky 48, Alabama State 14
#47. 2014: Kentucky 59, UT-Martin 14
#48. 2015: Kentucky 58, Charlotte 10
#49. 2019: Kentucky 50, UT-Martin 7