It’s understandable to be in awe of the magnitude behind the Vols’ Sweet 16 matchup with the Kentucky Wildcats Friday. One of the oldest series in the SEC and in the sport in general will involve an NCAA Tournament game for the first time ever. Tennessee Football hardly ever has as much on the line when facing UK.

Given the fact that Kentucky has won only two conference championships on the gridiron, UT is much more competitive with them in basketball than the ‘Cats are with the Vols in football. However, that doesn’t mean the football programs haven’t met in moments with similar magnitude as this March Madness outing.

In fact, there could be some games involving the pigskin that were bigger than this one, but which games would those be? Let’s take a look with the five biggest games between Tennessee Football and Kentucky in the history of the programs and how they compare to this Sweet 16 matchup.

5. 2007

Tennessee: 52 Kentucky: 50 (4 OT)

Although Tennessee Football was playing to win the SEC East while Kentucky was playing just to finish 8-4 instead of 7-5, the Wildcats were favored in Lexington. The chance at a title combined with being an underdog makes up the magnitude in this game, and as UT won against Andre Woodson in a four-overtime thriller, it lived up to the hype.

However, since UK didn’t have anything significant to play for, and the Vols weren’t in any national championship contention, we can’t really say this game has the same significance as the Sweet 16 basketball matchup does. Kentucky would have had to have been playing for more.

4. 1976

Kentucky: 7 Tennessee: 0

Only two times ever has UK won the SEC Championship, and this is one of those times, which they shared with the Georgia Bulldogs. They were playing this game to clinch a share of the league title, while the Vols were playing this game to try to clinch a bowl berth Bill Battle’s last year. Both had a lot on the line.

Kentucky won to make history, but again, this can’t rival the Sweet 16 matchup, as many Tennessee Football fans didn’t care for a bowl berth anyway. Battle was already fired effectively, and they were just waiting for Johnny Majors to wrap up his season with the Pittsburgh Panthers so they could bring him home.

3. 1929

6-6 tie

In this matchup, the Vols were playing for a Southern Conference Championship and their third perfect season in school history, their second since actually joining a league. It was Robert Neyland’s fourth year on the job, and despite ties in 1928 and 1927, UT hadn’t lost a game since 1926. UK was 6-1, though, at home and playing for a strong finish to the season.

With no rankings or bowl berth, UK didn’t have anything real to play for, and the Vols were just playing for a conference title, so once again, this doesn’t meet the magnitude of the impending Sweet 16 matchup. It was, however, a memorable showdown, as a tie cost the Vols a perfect season.

2. 1931

6-6 tie

Two years after the 1929 campaign, in a sense of deja vu, Tennessee traveled to Lexington perfect under Neyland, led by Gene McEver (who was the best player in 1929) and with the chance to win their conference. This time, however, a Rose Bowl berth was on the line for the Vols. UK was playing to stay alive in the Southern Conference title race, so both had something to fight for.

Ending in a tie ended UK’s chance at even sharing the conference title, but it also killed the Vols’ chance to reach the Rose Bowl. The combination of those two things, quite honestly, could almost make it rival the Sweet 16 matchup, but still, this Sweet 16 game is bigger if you take it all into account.

1. 1950

Tennessee: 7 Kentucky: 0

Finally, we have reached the one game that outweighs this Sweet 16 matchup. Bear Bryant had Kentucky 10-0 and No. 3 in the nation. Neyland had Tennessee Football 8-1 and No. 9 in the nation. Bryant had never beaten Neyland, and this was UK’s best team ever. Both had a national championship on the line.

Although UK had a better team, the Great Appalachian Storm of 1950 hit the week of the game, and Vol fans purposely left their home field covered in snow knowing it would give them an advantage. In a game that had 17 fumbles total, 12 lost, the Vols won 7-0 in a total fluke.

By playing one more SEC game, UK still technically earned the SEC Championship and beat the Oklahoma Sooners in the Sugar Bowl. The Vols beat the Texas Longhorns in the Cotton Bowl, and the Army Black Knights lost to the Navy Midshipmen after the final AP Poll came out.

Those three games allowed Tennessee and Kentucky to both retroactively declare national championships, and both of them have banners in that stadium representing that year. If UK had won, though, they would have been champions outright, so this was a huge game.