It’s one of the most dubious streaks in SEC history. Kentucky hasn’t beaten Florida on the football field since 1986.

That’s 30 consecutive defeats to one program. Of course, the Wildcats are known nationally for their basketball, just like the Gators are known for their football, but David typically takes out Goliath every now and then.

A year ago, these two programs couldn’t have been further apart. Despite the fact that UK seemed to have some momentum under coach Mark Stoops, UF dominated 45-7 — and it might not have been that close. The orange and blue outgained the ‘Cats 564-149 and won the turnover battle 4-1. It was a complete and utter humiliation from start to finish.

Stoops appears to have Kentucky pointed in the right direction again. He’s 3-0 and fresh off an upset at South Carolina.

Florida, on the other hand, is 1-1 and has looked awful in each of its two games. In the opener, the Gators were mauled by Michigan on a neutral site. This past Saturday, they needed a 63-yard prayer at the buzzer to beat Tennessee at home.

If ever there was a time for the Wildcats to kick this three-decades-long curse to the curb, this is it. Quarterback Stephen Johnson continues to improve. Benny Snell is one of the conference’s most underrated running backs. The defense is finally starting to come around — that’s Stoops’s forte, after all — and get off the field consistently.

But 30 years is a long time, and even though Stoops will try to sweep it under the rug, his players will hear about it all week.

“Honestly, I haven’t addressed that before,” he said Monday, according to 247Sports. “It’s never been my approach. These guys haven’t been here for 30 years. We’ll see. I’ll go with my gut on how much we’ll talk about that or if at all.”

Florida owns UK. History proves that. Not a single 'Cat on the roster was alive the last time the Gators lost this matchup.

The Gators are a train wreck offensively. QB Feleipe Franks showed off his cannon of an arm on that long-distance strike to Tyrie Cleveland, but his touch and timing are questionable to say the least. He’s not especially mobile, either.

On the other side of the ball, UF is still strong at all three levels despite serious attrition to the NFL — many of them with eligibility remaining — and a laundry list of injuries. However, in part due to the struggles on offense, the defense keeps breaking down in the second half because fatigue sets in from being on the field so much.

Still, Florida owns UK. History proves that. Not a single ‘Cat on the roster was alive the last time the Gators lost this matchup.

“I have great confidence in our team that that won’t affect us at all,” Stoops said. “If it gives somebody a little bit of motivation, I hope it gives them motivation on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. I want them getting motivation to prepare. If that does something for you, then good.”

Credit: Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports

This past season, Kentucky limped into Ben Hill Griffin Stadium after watching a 35-10 lead on Southern Mississippi turn into an inexplicable 44-35 loss. Needless to say, the Wildcats were fragile mentally.

The Gators led 14-0 after the first quarter, 24-0 at halftime, 38-0 after three periods and 45-0 before surrendering a garbage-time touchdown in the fourth frame. UK signal callers — initially it was Drew Barker, but Johnson (above) took over — completed just 3-of-15 passes, while UF’s Luke Del Rio seemed like a stud with 4 TD tosses.

"I've always accepted that, as I've accepted rivalries and all the negative streaks that you all are so good about telling me about. I take it personally. I do. I care. I care about our fan base. I do care about the history, even if I wasn't here. I want to make our people happy and supportive of our team." -- Mark Stoops

Stoops can’t simply throw out three decades and pretend like none of it ever happened. There are a handful of painful teaching moments from 2016’s abomination.

“We do watch that because that’s very recent,” he said. “You can’t make the same mistakes again. Obviously we’ll have to watch that game film, which should be no problem with motivating us because we did not play very good.”

But as Stoops suggested, his players are responsible for very few of those 30 straight losses. What happened under Jerry Claiborne, Bill Curry, Hal Mumme, Guy Morriss, Rich Brooks and Joker Phillips before his arrival has nothing to do with this current squad.

Facts are facts, though. For countless reasons — tradition, location, priorities — Florida will always be a more viable pigskin destination than what the ‘Cats can offer. While Stoops has recruited fairly well recently, even a disastrous National Signing Day in Gainesville is more full of blue chippers than what lands in Lexington.

He can’t totally focus on the streak, but he can’t completely ignore it. There’s a happy medium for motivation purposes.

“I’ve always accepted that, as I’ve accepted rivalries and all the negative streaks that you all are so good about telling me about,” Stoops said. “I take it personally. I do. I care. I care about our fan base. I do care about the history, even if I wasn’t here. I want to make our people happy and supportive of our team.”

Undefeated and basking in the glow of a win over the ‘Cocks, Kentucky has ruffled some feathers in the league. But if the Wildcats can get to 4-0 with a victory over the Gators, even a bruised and battered version of their long-time nemeses, then the nation will take notice.

Despite the fact that UF is currently a 3-point favorite in Las Vegas, an argument can be made that UK is the better team at this point. Johnson is a more capable field general than Franks. The ‘Cats are vastly superior running the ball — stopping the run, too. Florida can’t expect to keep winning games with fortuitous pick-sixes.

Kentucky will never have a better opportunity to knock off the Gators. It not now, then 30 years might turn into 60.