You may have heard that a MAC school defeated a top 10 team this year when Northern Illinois went into South Bend and stunned No. 5 Notre Dame during Week 2 of the college football season.
As Mark Stoops’ Kentucky Wildcats prepare to face one of the MAC’s charter members in the Ohio Bobcats Saturday at Kroger Field, we decided to take a look at Kentucky’s history against one of the country’s most recognizable Group of Five conferences.
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MAC schools have been some of the most common opponents on Kentucky’s nonconference schedule. Between 2019-2023, the Wildcats played two games against MAC teams in three of those six seasons. A year ago, Kentucky beat Ball State, 44-17, and Akron, 35-3.
All told, the Wildcats have faced 10 current members of the MAC: Akron, Ball State, Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Kent State, Miami (OH), Northern Illinois, Toledo, and Ohio.
The Wildcats’ all-time record against those schools is a combined 36 wins to 5 losses. Only two of those teams have beaten Kentucky twice, one of which is Ohio. Kentucky and the Bobcats will meet for the sixth time since 1971. Kentucky holds a 3-2 edge in the series and won the last meeting, 20-3, in Week 2 of the 2014 season.
Ohio’s last win in the series was in 2004, Rich Brooks’ second year as Kentucky coach. The Bobcats won, 28-16, with the Wildcats in the midst of one of the worst seasons in program history; Kentucky finished 2-9 that year. Ohio is the last MAC team to beat the Wildcats.
The Bobcats’ only other win in the all-time series came in October 1971, a 35-6 victory in Lexington against coach John Ray’s team. The two schools met again 16 years later, when Jerry Claiborne’s team won 28-0 at Commonwealth Stadium.
Ironically, it would take another 16 years for Kentucky and Ohio to play again. In 2003, the Wildcats posted a 35-14 victory over the Bobcats in the Wildcats’ seventh game of the season.
Against the rest of the MAC’s current members, Kentucky football has faced Miami the most times with 14 meetings between the schools — most recently in 2022, a 37-13 Wildcats victory in Lexington. While Miami has beaten Kentucky four times, two of those wins came between 1912-1920 before the MAC was founded.
Kentucky’s only other loss to a current MAC team was against Bowling Green, 30-26, to open the 1985 season.
Kentucky has met Kent State and Central Michigan seven times apiece. The ‘Cats are 7-0 all-time against both teams. Kentucky is also 2-0 in all-time head-to-head meetings against Akron, Ball State and Eastern Michigan. The Wildcats won the only meetings they’ve played against Northern Illinois (2022) and Toledo (2019).
Kickoff for Kentucky vs. Ohio is set for 12:45 p.m. ET Saturday at Kroger Field. The game can be seen on SEC Network.