Where does Florida win rank among Mark Stoops’ Kentucky football record 61 victories?

If Mark Stoops and his Kentucky football players have their way, Saturday’s upset of Florida in Gainesville will only be the start of a special season with loftier goals.

The victory established Kentucky as the biggest challenger to No. 1 Georgia in the SEC East race. It propelled the Wildcats into the top 10 of the Associated Press Top 25 for the first time since 2007. It moved Stoops past legendary coach Paul “Bear” Bryant for sole possession of UK’s coaching wins record.

Considering Kentucky had not won a regular season game in which both teams were ranked since 2007, the Florida victory has to immediately be considered as one of Stoops’ best at Kentucky.

Stoops and company will not be satisfied with one marquee win this season. With three more ranked teams on the schedule and the chance for an SEC East title or New Year’s Six bowl game looking more realistic by the week, the Florida victory might not even end up as Kentucky’s best this season.

But where does it rank among Stoops’ UK record 61 wins? I’ve covered every game of the Stoops era. Here are my picks for his 10 biggest wins.

1. Kentucky 27, No. 25 Florida 16 (Sept. 8, 2018)

Florida may have been ranked higher at the time of Kentucky’s win this season, but the 2018 victory still takes top prize since it snapped the Wildcats’ 31-game losing streak in the series. No single game has done more to change the perception of the program. Its importance has even grown with time as it catapulted the Wildcats to their first 10-win season since 1977 and was the first in a stretch of three wins in five years against the Gators.

2. Kentucky 41, No. 11 Louisville 38 (Nov. 26, 2016)

A week after clinching the first bowl berth of the Stoops era, Kentucky closed the 2016 regular season in style with an upset of its archrival in thrilling fashion. Kentucky quarterback Stephen Johnson is remembered more for his grit and determination than his physical gifts, but he outplayed Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson for one day with 421 yards of total offense and three touchdowns passes. Kicker Austin MacGinnis gave UK the win with a 47-yard field goal with 12 seconds on the clock.

3. No. 16 Kentucky 27, No. 12 Penn State 24 (Jan. 1, 2019)

Benny Snell and Josh Allen closed their legendary Kentucky careers in style by leading the Wildcats to their 10th win in the 2018 season. In the process, UK earned its most prestigious bowl victory since 1976 and its third 10-win season in program history. Snell broke UK’s career rushing yards record in the win. Allen totaled three sacks and blocked a field goal.

4. No. 20 Kentucky 26, No. 12 Florida 16 (Sept. 10, 2022)

We will need time to fully judge the impact of Saturday’s win, but it already broke new ground for the Wildcats. For all of Stoops’ success, most of the most-hyped matchups against other SEC teams during his tenure have ended in losses. There have been plenty of upsets, but most of those came in games that were not on the national radar before kickoff. This time, the eyes of the college football world were pointed at Kentucky, and the Wildcats responded. Turning the tide after a series of second-quarter miscues appeared to give Florida control only adds to the style points.

5. No. 25 Kentucky 20, No. 17 Iowa 17 (Jan. 1, 2022)

Kentucky’s second Citrus Bowl win in four seasons came in dramatic fashion. With 3:31 remaining, Kentucky received the ball down four. Will Levis and Wan’Dale Robinson then led Kentucky on an eight-play, 80-yard touchdown drive for the win. Robinson accounted for four catches for 86 yards on the drive. Chris Rodriguez capped it with a 6-yard touchdown run to give Kentucky its second 10-win season of the Stoops era.

6. Kentucky 34, No. 18 Tennessee 7 (Oct. 17, 2020)

Some games mean more than just the result on the field. This was one of them. While Kentucky’s two interceptions returned for a touchdown to embarrass the Volunteers on their home field were exciting, it was the scene in the locker room after the game that left the longest impression. There, beloved offensive line coach John Schlarman was presented the game ball in what would be his last game as a Kentucky coach. Schlarman died less than a month later after a two-year battle with cancer.

7. Kentucky 45, South Carolina 38 (Oct. 4, 2014)

Kentucky’s recent success sometimes makes it difficult to remember just how bleak things looked early in Stoops’ tenure. This win was the first night the program cashed in on the recruiting success and off-field momentum with an actual win. Jojo Kemp rushed for 131 yards and three touchdowns then gave the program its mantra when he shouted into SEC Network cameras, “Why not us?”

8. Kentucky 37, Virginia Tech 30 (Dec. 31, 2019)

While the two 10-win squads should be considered Stoops’ best Kentucky teams, the 2019 Wildcats might have been his best coaching job. After a rash of quarterback injuries decimated the offense, Stoops and offensive coordinator Eddie Gran made the bold decision to move wide receiver Lynn Bowden behind center. Bowden responded with an All-America season. The Belk Bowl provided Bowden his signature moment as he rushed for 233 yards, most ever by a quarterback in a bowl game, and threw the game winning touchdown pass to Josh Ali with 19 seconds left.

9. Kentucky 20, No. 10 Florida 13 (Oct. 2, 2021)

At the time Kentucky fans stormed onto Kroger Field to celebrate the program’s first win over Florida in Lexington since 1986 it seemed certain the win would rank higher on this list. It was UK’s first victory over a top-10 team since 2010, but it also marked the start of a disastrous collapse from Florida. The fact that the Gators finished the season with a 6-7 record takes some of the shine off Kentucky’s victory, but it still moved UK to 5-0 in what ended up being a 10-win season.

10. Kentucky 40, Mississippi State 38 (Oct. 22, 2016)

The Louisville win might have been the high point of Kentucky’s program-changing 2016 season, but it was the thriller against Mississippi State that first signaled Stoops had turned a corner. When MacGinnis drilled a 51-yard field goal at the buzzer it moved Kentucky to .500 for the first time that season. That plateau looked unlikely when Kentucky started the season with a shocking loss to Southern Miss and blowout defeat at Florida. “All the stuff that I talked about is starting to pay off — in the offseason — with being physically tougher, mentally tougher and being able to bounce back from adversity,” Stoops said after the win. “That’s what I’m most proud of.”

Next game

Youngstown State at No. 9 Kentucky

When: Noon Saturday

TV: SEC Network

Records: Kentucky 2-0, Youngstown State 2-0

Radio: WLAP-AM 630, WBUL-FM 98.1

Series: First meeting

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