The Georgia Bulldogs and the Kentucky Wildcats have met 77 times in their respective histories with the first matchup occurring in 1939. The game has been played yearly since 1956. Georgia and Kentucky will play in 2025, but the rivalry may no longer be played annually in the expanded SEC. The former SEC East rivals have had three ranked versus ranked matchups in the past seven years.

Mark Stoops and Kirby Smart are the two longest tenured coaches in the SEC, with Stoops taking over the Kentucky job in 2013 after Joker Phillips was fired and Smart taking over the Georgia program after it parted ways with Mark Richt in 2015. The Bulldogs enter this matchup as the nation's No. 1 ranked team, while the Wildcats are unranked coming off of a crushing loss to the South Carolina Gamecocks in their SEC opener.

The game will kick off at 7:30 E.T. in Lexington, Kentucky, on Saturday night. Here is a look back at the recent games between these two rivals and how the overall series has played out to this point.

2023: Georgia 51, Kentucky 13

The Bulldogs entered the matchup undefeated and ranked as the number one team in the nation, fresh off of an escape against the Auburn Tigers. The Wildcats, coming off of an utter domination of Florida, were ranked 20th and also had yet to be defeated. It was seen by many as the best chance the Wildcats had to challenge the Bulldogs in years.

The game failed to play out that way, as Carson Beck passed for two touchdowns in the first quarter, the first to Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint and the second to Rara Thomas. He would connect for his third just four minutes into the second quarter with tight end Oscar Delp at the goal line. Kentucky's Devin Leary would find Josh Kattas for a touchdown in response, but the Bulldogs would finish out the first half with a Kendall Milton touchdown run and a pair of Peyton Woodring field goals.

The second half would play out as more of the same, with Georgia finishing the third quarter with a 44-13 lead off of another Woodring kick and Carson Beck's fourth touchdown pass of the game to tight end Brock Bowers.

The Bulldogs would rest their starters for the remainder of the game, and now Kentucky quarterback Brock Vandagriff would find former Georgia running back Andrew Paul for the game's final score. After lighting up the Gators on the ground, Ray Davis and Kentucky's vaunted running attack would be held to 2.3 yards per carry by the Georgia defense, including now-Wildcats linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson, who recorded 1.5 sacks.

The Bulldogs would finish the season 13-1, with a loss to Alabama in the SEC title game and a 63-3 victory over Florida State in the Orange Bowl. Kentucky would struggle through the remainder of the regular season and fall to Clemson in the Gator Bowl to finish the year 7-6.

2022: Georgia 16, Kentucky 6

The Bulldogs entered the matchup 10-0 and a dominant No. 1 team in the nation. The Wildcats, on the other hand, had struggled through the season with protection issues ahead of quarterback Will Levis and entered the matchup 6-4.

The game would start sluggishly, with both defenses dominating and the Wildcats holding the Bulldogs to three field goals from kicker Jack Podlesny. Running back Kenny McIntosh would break the touchdown stalemate in the third quarter, scoring from six yards out to give the Bulldogs a 16-0 lead.

Levis would connect with wide receiver Barion Brown late in the game to cut the lead to 16-6, but the Bulldogs would leave Lexington 11-0 after handing the Wildcats their first home loss of the year.

UGA quarterback Stetson Bennett would be held to 116 yards and an interception in the game, with Georgia relying on the run game that totaled 247 yards, 143 of which came from McIntosh. Defensively, the Dawgs would hold Kentucky to under 100 yards rushing and 3.6 yards per carry.

The Bulldogs would finish out 15-0 with a national title game victory over the TCU Horned Frogs. Kentucky would end the year 7-6 after defeating rival Louisville and being shut out 21-0 by Iowa in the Music City Bowl.

2021: Georgia 30, Kentucky 13

Georgia and Kentucky entered ranked No. 1 and No. 11, respectively, with both teams entering their seventh game undefeated. The Wildcats had found a spark behind new offensive coordinator Liam Coen and Penn State transfer quarterback Will Levis.

The first quarter was a defensive struggle before the Bulldogs opened it up in the second, with Stetson Bennett finding James Cook for a 19-yard touchdown and Zamir White scoring on a 24-yard run. The Wildcats would answer with a goal line touchdown pass by Levis to make it a 14-7 game at halftime.

The Bulldogs would score 16 unanswered in the second half behind a pair of touchdowns from dominant freshman tight end Brock Bowers, who would finish with five catches for 101 yards. Wan'Dale Robinson would score with less than five seconds remaining to reach the final score of 30-14.

Stetson Bennett would have a strong game, connecting on 14 of 20 passes for 250 yards and three scores. The dominant Georgia defense, despite giving up two touchdowns for the first time all year, had a fantastic showing, holding the Wildcats to 1.9 yards per carry and forcing Levis to carry the offense.

Georgia would finish the season 14-1, winning a rematch against Alabama in the national title game. The Wildcats' loss would lead into a three-game skid, but they would rebound and finish 10-3, tied for their best record under Mark Stoops.

2009: Kentucky 34, Georgia 27

The last time the Wildcats beat Georgia was in 2009, making it the longest active streak for the Bulldogs against the former SEC East. Both teams entered the game 6-4, with the Wildcats led by Rich Brooks in his final year and the Bulldogs in their ninth year under the direction of Mark Richt.

The Bulldogs held a 20-6 lead at halftime behind a pair of touchdown passes from quarterback Joe Cox, who would pass for 291 yards and three scores in the game but also throw two interceptions and complete only 40 percent of his passes.

The Wildcats would score 28 second half points compared to only one touchdown for UGA, with star skill player Randall Cobb scoring twice on the ground and quarterback Morgan Newton passing for three touchdowns. The Wildcats would win 34-27 in a comeback victory that further added to the misery of one of the worst Georgia seasons of the last twenty years.

Georgia would finish the year with two straight wins including an Independence Bowl victory over Texas A&M to finish 8-5. The Wildcats would finish Rich Brooks' final year 7-6, losing to the Clemson Tigers in the Music City Bowl.

All-time series: Georgia controls rivalry

The Bulldogs have a dominant lead in the series, with an overall record of 63-12-2. The Dawgs have a 14-game winning streak over the Wildcats, which is the longest over the course of the entire series and more wins than Kentucky has overall. The two are scheduled to meet again in Athens in 2025, with the future frequency of the game unknown until the SEC makes a decision on its scheduling model.

This article originally appeared on Bulldogs Wire: UGA football series history against Kentucky