The Kentucky Wildcats’ win over Austin Peay ensures the program’s first bowl bid since 2010. With one game remaining, many fans are wondering where the team will be headed for the offseason.
If you pay any attention to bowl projections, it sounds like the Wildcats will likely be playing in either Birmingham, Memphis, or Shreveport for their bowl game.
The popular choice this week is the Birmingham Bowl.
SEC Country, SB Nation, NBC Sports, and 247 Sports all project Kentucky to accept a bid to the Birmingham Bowl on December 29. SEC Country, SB Nation, and NBC Sports all project the Wildcats to take on a Houston Cougars team fresh off ruining Louisville’s playoff hopes last Thursday. 247 Sports is projecting the Wildcats to take on the Memphis Tigers in Birmingham.
Campus Insiders is projecting Kentucky to the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, where they project the Wildcats to face off against the Texas Longhorns. The Longhorns, as most well know, is led by former Florida Defensive Coordinator and Louisville Head Coach Charlie Strong. However, reports have been leaking that Strong has been fired from Texas following the 24-21 defeat at the hands of the Kansas Jayhawks last Saturday. While the university has not confirmed the reports, the rumor is that they have moved on from Strong and an announcement could come soon, possibly at the end of the season.
It is unclear what effect this will have on the Longhorns’ postseason, so this could be an interesting storyline to follow.
Lastly, CBS Sports is projecting Kentucky to head to Shreveport, Louisiana for the Independence Bowl to take on an ACC opponent, projected to be the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, who are sitting at 7-4.
I am not really sure I like the Georgia Tech matchup due to the fact Kentucky hasn’t really seen a triple option offense this year, and that could cause some serious problems on defense.
Wherever the Wildcats go for their bowl game, I have a feeling the Big Blue Nation will have quite the presence. After two years of being on the brink, the team and the fans are noticeably excited to keep playing.