The 1986 Kentucky Wildcats football team represented the University of Kentucky in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) during the 1986 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their fifth season under head coach Jerry Claiborne, the Wildcats compiled a 5–5–1 record (2–4 against SEC opponents), finished in a tie for seventh place in the SEC, and outscored their opponents, 228 to 206. The team played its home games in Commonwealth Stadium in Lexington, Kentucky.