For Kentucky’s senior class, there are plenty of accolades they can check off on a UK list of accomplishments. Bowl eligibility in three consecutive seasons? Check. First winning SEC season since 1977? Check. First 8-win regular season since 1984? Check. Likely first-round NFL pick? Josh Allen says check.

There is, however, one final remaining feat. There’s no artful way to say this, but here goes.

Kentucky needs to beat the crap out of Louisville. For several reasons.

First, Kentucky needs an exclamation mark on what stands to be a 9-win season, the team’s first since 1977, which feels oddly understated. This Kentucky team does things like win 15-14 or 14-7 or 34-23. And of course, there is some lingering bad taste of the ugly loss in Knoxville two weeks ago. Kentucky did beat FCS foe Murray State 48-10 back in Week 3. But other than that game, it’s a taking care of business kind of season. A whipping of Louisville sends a message that the progress evident in the AP poll ranking and SEC standings is legitimate.

Second, Kentucky needs to control the state. When Mark Stoops was hired after the 2012 season, Kentucky wasn’t even the second best program in the state. If there was any doubt of that fact, Stoops lost to Western Kentucky and one-year coaching rental Bobby Petrino 35-26 in his first game as a Wildcat. Petrino made no secret of his disdain for Kentucky, either in the Rich Brooks era tht coincided with his first stint in Louisville, or in the second. After upsetting Louisville in 2016, Kentucky was not only embarrassed by QB Lamar Jackson and the Cardinals in 2017, but they lost their own cool, throwing around garbage cans and generally acting clueless.

Times have changed, and to paraphrase a former Louisville employee, Lamar Jackson ain’t walking through that door. Petrino was fired a week ago and his 2-9 Louisville team is limping home. Western Kentucky, two coaches later, is now also 2-9. Kentucky might have won state honors when they beat Murray State early this season. Stoops remains, and with the Cardinals looking to lure home Jeff Brohm from Purdue, it wouldn’t be a bad thing to send a message about where control of the state stands.

Third, Louisville is absolutely begging for a thumping. Has there been a worse year in University of Louisville history? It was just over a year ago that Katina Powell and her ring of strippers/prostitutes went public with their Louisville allegations. Since that time, the Cardinals have: 1) been embroiled in a pay-for-play basketball scandal over recruit Brian Bowen, 2) fired athletic director Tom Jurich, 3) fired basketball coach Rick Pitino, 4) banned themselves from the NCAA basketball tournament, 5) gone 2-9 in football, 6) and fired football coach Bobby Petrino, with news breaking during Petrino’s coach’s show.

Mark Stoops is not a high-scoring coach. Probably the most electric offensive event that could occur Saturday is Benny Snell breaking UK’s career rushing mark (he’s 205 yards away). Stoops doesn’t run up scores, and Kentucky frankly doesn’t score enough even if he wanted to. The Wildcats haven’t topped 28 points against a P5 opponent this season.

But Louisville doesn’t have a P5 defense. In the Cardinals’ past four games, they have allowed 52 to N.C. State, 54 to Syracuse, 77 to Clemson and 56 to Wake Forest. Earlier, they gave up 66 to Georgia Tech and 51 to Alabama.

Kentucky’s proud senior class will spend Thanksgiving week considering all the accomplishments and goodwill that they have accrued over the past four seasons. Josh Allen, Mike Edwards, C.J. Conrad, and likely Benny Snell will prepare for one last game, one more chance to take care of business.

It’s just that this time, business should include a butt-kicking.