Kentucky fans had a message for Tennessee. They painted it on the Vols’ Rock - USA Today

Kentucky football is a surprise SEC leader heading into Week 10. And Wildcats are feeling themselves.

Ahead of today's game against Tennessee in Knoxville, some UK fans — under the cover of darkness — planted their flag by painting the Vols' famed Rock blue with Kentucky's logo and "Stein Time" painted on one side, and "#BBN Big Blue Rock" on the other side.

Per Tennessee's website: "An iconic UT landmark for more than 50 years, the Rock is a place of free expression on campus, a public canvas where thousands of artists have expressed themselves. Unearthed in 1966, the Rock has been a fixture of campus life ever since, and painting the Rock has become a treasured campus tradition."

The Rock was quickly painted over, but you can still see the blue paint on the ground via the university's live cam. Bold move. The Wildcats are 7-1 in Will Stein's first season as coach and controls its path to a place they have never been: the SEC championship game.

Saturday's game has huge stakes. Kentucky landed at No. 6 in the first CFP rankings, while the Vols landed at No. 13, controversially eight spots lower than Alabama — a team it beat by 16 points.