In some past years the Governors Cup hasn't had much at stake beyond the typical rivalry bragging rights. In fairness, that always counts for a lot.

But this year's game is interesting because both Kentucky and Louisville seem to have good reason to be excited about the future. The near future and the longer-term future.

Here's what's at stake for Kentucky in the 2019 edition of the Commonwealth's biggest game.

What a Kentucky win would mean ... It would mean Kentucky has won two straight games against Louisville in the Governor's Cup rivalry and a win this year would be more impressive since the Cardinals have a pulse and are 7-4. Mark Stoops would be 1-0 against Scott Satterfield.

There will be a lot of recruits on hand for the game and a win would be preferable in terms of impressing those players.

A 7-5 Kentucky team with three straight wins and a crowd-pleaser in Lynn Bowden would potentially be in a position to play in an attractive bowl game. There will likely be bowl representatives on hand. Speaking of three straight wins to end the regular season ... Remember when Kentucky tended to fall apart at the end of the year? A win would make for a full reversal of that narrative.

A win would be a proper send off for seniors like Logan Stenberg, Jordan Griffin, Kash Daniel, Calvin Taylor, and TJ Carter, among others. Those players have been .500 in SEC play over the past four years, the first senior class that can say that since those between 1976-1979.

A win would guarantee Kentucky a winning season regardless of the bowl game's outcome and Mark Stoops' career record would be 43-44, so a win in the bowl game would bring him to .500 overall at UK.

What a Kentucky loss would mean ... For starters, it wouldn't be one of the more devastating losses in the series. Kentucky is already bowl eligible. A loss might knock UK down to a less appealing bowl game (or maybe it wouldn't - who knows?) but UK is bowling one way or another. It just seems tough to imagine UK could snag one of those coveted Florida bowl bids at 6-6.

But anytime you lose to an archrival it's a negative. Kentucky has had great success recruiting in Louisville over the past couple of classes. In order to continue that over a longer period of time you usually need to fare well in this game. Beyond that, Kentucky doesn't want Scott Satterfield's staff to start to build more program momentum. There's no reason both programs can't succeed, but there are sometimes four or five top prospects that both programs would like to land and right now UK has been in a good place with those players.

A loss would mean Kentucky only finishes the regular season 6-6, so a bowl game would be the difference in finishing above or below .500 on the season.