One week off, then straight into Alabama at home and Texas A&M on the road. The 2026 Kentucky football schedule doesn’t bother with a soft landing — it throws two ranked opponents at Lexington by Week 3 and dares the Wildcats to keep up.
2026 Kentucky Football Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Location | Time (ET) | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat, Sep 5 | Youngstown State Penguins | Kroger Field, Lexington, KY | 1:00 PM | SECN+ |
| Sat, Sep 12 | Alabama Crimson Tide | Kroger Field, Lexington, KY | 3:30 PM | ABC |
| Sat, Sep 19 | at Texas A&M Aggies | Kyle Field, College Station, TX | 3:30 PM | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| Sat, Sep 26 | South Alabama Jaguars | Kroger Field, Lexington, KY | 12:45 PM | SECN |
| Sat, Oct 3 | at South Carolina Gamecocks | Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia, SC | 3:30–8:00 PM | TV TBA |
| Sat, Oct 10 | LSU Tigers (Homecoming) | Kroger Field, Lexington, KY | 6:00–8:00 PM | TV TBA |
| Sat, Oct 17 | at Oklahoma Sooners | Gaylord Family OK Mem. Stadium, Norman, OK | 3:30–8:00 PM | TV TBA |
| Sat, Oct 24 | Vanderbilt Commodores | Kroger Field, Lexington, KY | 6:00–8:00 PM | TV TBA |
| Sat, Oct 24 | OFF | — | — | |
| Sat, Nov 7 | at Tennessee Volunteers | Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, TN | 6:00–8:00 PM | TV TBA |
| Sat, Nov 14 | Florida Gators | Kroger Field, Lexington, KY | 6:00–8:00 PM | TV TBA |
| Sat, Nov 21 | at Missouri Tigers | Faurot Field, Columbia, MO | 6:00–8:00 PM | TV TBA |
| Sat, Nov 28 | Louisville Cardinals | Kroger Field, Lexington, KY | 12:00–1:00 PM | TV TBA |
| Sat, Dec 5 | SEC Championship | Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA | 4:00 PM | ABC |
A Trial by Fire in September
Youngstown State is the only breather on the 2026 Kentucky football schedule, and it comes in Week 1. By Week 2, Alabama’s already in Lexington, ranked and dangerous. Week 3 sends the Wildcats to College Station for a Texas A&M team that opens as a top-10 opponent. Two ranked games in a three-week stretch, with a body-bag game squeezed in between against South Alabama — that’s not accidental scheduling, that’s survival testing.
October Doesn’t Get Any Kinder
South Carolina on the road opens the month, then LSU comes to Kroger Field for Homecoming — no small irony, hosting a ranked SEC West team the same weekend the student section expects a laugher. A trip to Norman against Oklahoma follows a week later. Whatever’s going on with the Vanderbilt/bye-week overlap on Oct. 24, one thing’s certain: this team needed the rest by then, wherever it actually falls.
November Closes with Louisville and the Egg Bowl of the Bluegrass
Tennessee on the road opens November, and Neyland is never an easy building to escape with a win. Florida comes to Lexington the following week, then it’s back on the road to Missouri. The regular season wraps against Louisville — ranked, at home, with the in-state rivalry trophy on the line one more time before the calendar flips to bowl season.
The Bottom Line
Alabama, Texas A&M, LSU, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Louisville — six games this schedule pegs as legitimately dangerous, and that’s before anyone accounts for whatever South Carolina turns out to be. Kentucky’s Kentucky football home games in 2026 include four of those six, which helps. But road trips to College Station, Norman, and Knoxville will decide whether this is a bowl team or a rebuilding year.
FAQ
Q: When does Kentucky football play its first game in 2026?
A: Kentucky opens the 2026 Kentucky football schedule at home against Youngstown State on Saturday, September 5, at Kroger Field.
Q: When is Kentucky vs Louisville 2026?
A: Kentucky vs Louisville 2026 is set for Saturday, November 28, at Kroger Field in Lexington, with Louisville entering as the No. 21 team per source rankings.
Q: How many home games does Kentucky play in 2026?
A: Kentucky has seven Kentucky football home games in 2026 at Kroger Field: Youngstown State, Alabama, South Alabama, LSU, Vanderbilt, Florida, and Louisville.
Q: What is Kentucky’s toughest stretch on the 2026 schedule?
A: The three-game run from Alabama through Texas A&M and into LSU’s Homecoming visit — September 12 through October 10 — is the toughest stretch on the Kentucky SEC schedule 2026, with Oklahoma and Tennessee still to come on the road in the weeks after.
6 thoughts on “The Full 2026 Kentucky Football Schedule, Game by Game”