Tennessee football: Is Mark Stoops-John Calipari feud about who Vols own more?

For all of human history, Tennessee football has owned the Kentucky Wildcats. Ever since the arrival of Rick Barnes, Tennessee basketball has had the advantage over UK as well. These facts already drive fans in Lexington crazy.

Well, now there is a feud between Kentucky basketball head coach John Calipari and Kentucky football head coach Mark Stoops. In reality, the feud should be about who do the Vols own less, but maybe UT’s ownership of both is having an impact.

Reportedly, Calipari is demanding a new practice facility. In the process of asking for it, he made it clear that Kentucky is a basketball school. Stoops took issue with that on Twitter and called him out. Tennessee football and basketball fans just sipped their tea.

Let’s be honest. It’s possible Calipari is freaking out because Kentucky basketball is starting to look like Kentucky football against the Vols. Outside of 2020-2021, it’s not like they are in the midst of one of their worst runs ever under him, and the Vols with Rick Barnes at the helm are still 10-7 when facing UK.

Could Calipari’s point about Kentucky being a basketball school be related to the fact that he’s trying to avoid that very fact, that he doesn’t want them to look like Kentucky football against the Vols? That’s very possible.

On the other hand, Tennessee football has been in the midst of one of its worst runs in history, and Kentucky football is in the midst of one of its best under Stoops. Still, the Vols are 7-2 against Stoops and beat him both times he won 10 games.

The subtle dig about the four straight postseason wins that Stoops brought up refers to Kentucky’s basketball team losing its first NCAA Tournament game this past year. Honestly, Stoops has got a point there.

Also, if you just compare what each program has done the past four years, football has the advantage. The football program has had two top 20 finishes and reached a bowl game every year during that time. Stoops’ program has won three postseason games since Kentucky’s last postseason win.

On the other hand, the basketball program was eliminated in the Round of 64 this past year and went 9-16 the year before. Sure, they won the SEC regular season championship in 2019-2020, which is something they have over the football program, but in general, the football program wins.

Still, none of this matters. It’s a catfight between two programs inferior to the Vols. The rules of Tennessee football owning Kentucky still apply, and the rules of Kentucky basketball owning the Vols are falling by the wayside. That latter part scares Calipari, and it’s affecting his statements.