Kentucky pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the 2026 college football season on Saturday, stunning No. 10 LSU 35-34 in overtime at Kroger Field.
The Wildcats improved to 5-1 and 3-1 in SEC play, extending their winning streak to four games under first-year head coach Will Stein. They now sit No. 15 in the AP Top 25.
Running back C.J. Baxter came through with a huge game, rushing for 123 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries, averaging 6.5 yards per carry, while quarterback Kenny Minchey went 23 of 36 for 246 yards, along with the game-winning two-point conversion in overtime.
It was a statement win for Kentucky, and another devastating loss for Lane Kiffin and the Tigers. But people are still questioning whether the Wildcats are legit, even if Stein himself isn't bothered by it.
"I just really try to show up every single day and do my job, which is to be the head football coach and create an environment of competition, discipline, accountability, toughness. And I think when you have a good process, which I believe we do here as an organization, it sets you up to be successful," Stein told reporters. "So, I really don't worry about what people think about me. I never have. I never will. That's just how I am as a person, and that's really how my team plays. It's funny that everybody that we beat seems to be a really bad football team. That's what drives me a little bit right now."
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Stein, a Kentucky native who grew up a Wildcats fan, previously served as Oregon's offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach from 2023 to 2025 before being hired to be Kentucky's head coach. While working under Dan Lanning at Oregon, he helped develop NFL quarterbacks Bo Nix and Dillon Gabriel.
Stein replaced longtime head coach Mark Stoops, who was fired in December 2025 after 13 seasons in Lexington. Over that span, he became Kentucky's winningest coach, but the program decided to move on after back-to-back losing seasons and a 41-0 loss to Louisville late last year.
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So far, the change is paying off. Kentucky is 5-1 with wins over Youngstown State, Texas A&M, South Alabama, South Carolina, and LSU. Their wins over the Aggies and Gamecocks came on the road, and they've put up 30 or more points every week. Their only loss came against Alabama in Week 2, a team that is widely viewed as one of the best in college football this season.
For a coach who's never previously led a college program, it's about the best start you could have asked for and one that now has Kentucky fans eyeing the College Football Playoff. Their next test comes Saturday at Oklahoma, before games against Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Florida, Missouri, and Louisville.