Bowl Projections: Plenty of Options Available For Kentucky Entering Final Week of Regular Season

The bowl picture amongst middling SEC teams is far from clear entering the final week of the regular season, Kentucky included.

Sitting at 6-5, the Wildcats will welcome the Louisville Cardinals to Kroger Field for the Governor's Cup this Saturday, a game that will likely have major implications on where UK lands for its postseason matchup in late December.

Kentucky is one of 10 SEC teams that has acquired bowl eligibility, meaning there's limited spots to go around. There won't be any Citrus Bowl repeat for the Wildcats this season, but the difference between a six-win season and a seven-win season is monumental in getting a respectable bid.

Here's where college football media is currently projecting the Cats to land entering week 13, featuring three different bowl games and six different opponents:

Gator Bowl (Dec. 30, Jacksonville)

In what's likely the best case scenario for the Wildcats, Steve Lassan of Athlon Sports, Mark Schlabach of ESPN and CollegeFootballNews.com all have UK landing in Jacksonville.

Both Schlabach and CFN like the Florida State Seminoles, the former home of UK head coach Mark Stoops, to oppose the Cats inside TIAA Bank Stadium. The programs have met just six times, with Kentucky winning four of the meetings. The last time the two met was in the 2007 Music City Bowl, which saw Kentucky come out on top 35-28.

Lassan has the Notre Dame Fighting Irish entering the fray. UK and ND have never played, but it would be a marquee tilt for the Cats, even if the Irish aren't at the height of their powers.

Liberty Bowl (Dec. 28, Memphis)

Richard Johnson of Sports Illustrated is pegging UK to land in Memphis, taking on the Texas Tech Red Raiders in what would be a fun SEC-Big 12 Collab. Like Notre Dame, Tech has never squared off against Kentucky.

The Wildcats have taken part in the Liberty Bowl just one time, where they fought past East Carolina 25-19 in the 2009 edition of the postseason game. It was quite the finish, as Ventrell Jenkins returned a blocked kick 56 yards to the end zone with just over three minutes left in the fourth quarter.

Music City Bowl (Dec. 31, Nashville)

The consensus pick entering the final week of the season is the Music City Bowl.

Kyle Bonagura of ESPN, Jerry Palm of CBS Sports, Brett McMurphy of the Action Network and Erick Smith of USA TODAY each have Big Blue Nation making that all-too familiar trip down south to Nashville.

Here's who the projected Big Ten opponents are:

Bonagura: Purdue
Palm: Wisconsin
McMurphy: Illinois
Smith: Illinois

Kentucky has taken part in the game five times, winning just twice. Last time out, Northwestern got the best of the Cats in a close 24-23 game in 2017.

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