Past years may not have found a late-season matchup between Kentucky and Vanderbilt with plenty on the line. This season is different, though, with Nashville being the slate of an incredibly important showdown between the two SEC teams. Both teams are fighting for something in their penultimate game of the schedule.

Unfortunately, there are some injuries to deal with before then. Wednesday brought the first injury report of the week, giving us a glance at who might not be available on Saturday. At least two more are expected to be released before final decisions are made ahead of kickoff. You can check out the full report here.

Kentucky Wildcats

Vanderbilt Commodores

Start time is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. CT at FirstBank Stadium. It’s a venue getting used to hosting massive contests to this point. Vanderbilt fighting for a College Football Playoff spot has injected plenty of life into the program. But you know Kentucky is hoping they can wind up playing spoiler — effectively ending the season of an old SEC East rival.

What’s on the line for Kentucky, Vanderbilt

Vandy quarterback Diego Pavia put himself on a quest to help Vanderbilt win a national championship before the season. They are far from eliminated from the conversation, getting put at No. 14 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings. Two losses might be the best thing going right now for the Commodores, along with the possibilities ahead.

Starting with Kentucky, two more wins will be required in order to have a chance to get into the 12-team field. Really, all eyes are on next weekend when Vanderbilt heads to Knoxville. However, Clark Lea will be the first to tell you all the attention needs to be placed on UK, no overlooking the Wildcats.

Speaking of, Mark Stoops suddenly finds himself with a three-game winning streak. Making a bowl is back in the realm of possibility, even if a tough task is ahead. Kentucky holds a 4-6 record leading into this one, also needing to win out.

Plenty of speculation is out there on the future of Stoops. His seat continues to be warm, stretching throughout multiple seasons. But getting to six wins, considering how the year began, would bring a safe assumption that Stoops returns for the 2026 season.