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Going into their regular-season finale, UK looked destined for a lower-tier bowl, possibly even the Independence Bowl in Shreveport, Louisiana.
Now, it’s possible UK ascends up the pecking order enough to land in one of the best bowls the school has made it to in decades. It appears that UK is locked into the TaxSlayer Bowl, where they will face Georgia Tech.
What used to be called the Gator Bowl, this would be arguably the best bowl that UK has made since the Outback Bowl in 1999. This is where College Football News, SB Nation, ESPN, and FOX Sports have UK landing.
The Belk Bowl in Charlotte, NC. has been a popular pick, but due to the fact it is slated to kick off at nearly the same time as the Kentucky-Ole Miss basketball game in Oxford. UK and the SEC would want to avoid such a scenario, and the Belk Bowl would prefer to have the full attention of the schools involved.
There’s also the Music City Bowl in Nashville, which has been a popular destination for Kentucky in the past (appearing in 1999, 2006, 2007, and 2009). Kentucky actually has the most appearances of any team in the bowl. This is where CBS Sports projects UK to land and face Minnesota.
The Music City Bowl would pit Kentucky against either an ACC or Big 10 school. A very appealing option for Kentucky fans would be a matchup against the Indiana Hoosiers, who just became bowl eligible with a win over Purdue on Saturday. That could be a matchup that Music City Bowl representatives would find interesting. I think it’s a strong possibility.
As for the College Football Playoff, Alabama remains a lock for the No. 1 seed in the four-team playoff after beating Florida in the SEC Championship. Clemson will very likely be the No. 2 seed after beating Virginia Tech in the ACC Championship.
The next two teams will likely be Washington and Ohio State sneaking into the final field. The seeding between those two is different across the various projections, but it’s safe to say those four teams are the favorites to represent the 206-17 College Football Playoff.
College Football News Projections
Bowl selections will be announced today.