It is not an “Orwellian nightmare” to say the specter of 1984 haunts the Kentucky football program.
Since Coach Jerry Claiborne’s Hall of Fame Bowl champions went 9-3 in 1984, the Wildcats have never again won nine games in a season.
Among Power 5 conference programs, only Indiana has gone longer (1967) without a nine-win season than Kentucky.
In 2018, UK Coach Mark Stoops will have 17 starters back from last season’s team (7-6) that made Kentucky’s second straight bowl appearance.