Who? Not Louisville, but that other team to the west. That’s how Kentucky QB/WR Lynn Bowden refers to the Cardinals, the opponent for the Wildcats this week at Kroger Field.

Even though Bowden is a native of Youngstown, Ohio, he has embraced the UK-UofL rivalry and then some.

“There’s going to be a lot of hootin’ and hollerin’ going on this week,” Bowden said, and then corrected a reporter’s question referring to Louisville, instead of that team to the west. “It’s a rivalry. It’s like the Steelers and the Browns. Got to embrace it. That other team over there, they wear the opposite color of us.”

How about a message for fans of the other team?

“Stay where y’all at, don’t jump on our bandwagon,” Bowden said.

This rivalry has had plenty of streaks to it, and lately, the road team has found success. The road team has won each of the last four meetings. UK won last year to take a 16-15 edge in the overall series.

Both teams have qualified for a bowl, and UofL has shown marked improvement under first-year coach Scott Satterfield. Meanwhile, UK coach Mark Stoops said Saturday his “heart” is at Kentucky after a report that he met with Florida State about its opening. That sets up one of the best matchups for both sides in terms of win-loss record and coaching stability in recent memory.