Kentucky Bowl Projections following the win over Florida
Kentucky’s win over Florida vaulted the Cats into the top ten of both polls and is also reflected in the latest bowl projections. Last week, most prognosticators had Florida going to the Sugar Bowl, but after Kentucky beat the Gators, many have flipped. ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura, Brett McMurphy, and College Football News all have Kentucky in the Sugar Bowl in their latest projections. New Year’s Eve in New Orleans? Yes, please.
If you recall, the Sugar Bowl kicks off at the exact same time as the Kentucky vs. Louisville basketball game on December 31. That’s a problem to worry about down the road, but there’s no denying Kentucky’s hopes for a fun postseason destination got a big boost with Saturday’s win. Even though he kept Kentucky in the ReliaQuest Bowl (formerly the Outback Bowl) in his predictions, ESPN’s Mark Schlabach said the Cats were the team that helped themselves the most over the weekend.
“Kentucky had won 10 games in a season only once since 1950 before Mark Stoops arrived. Stoops has guided the Wildcats to 10 wins twice, in 2018 and 2021, and seems headed there again. The Wildcats were impressive in a 26-16 victory at Florida on Saturday night. The Kentucky defense held Anthony Richardson in check and forced two turnovers. Florida had only 12 first downs and went 4-for-16 on third down. The Wildcats have difficult SEC road games at Ole Miss and Tennessee ahead, but at least they get Georgia at home on Nov. 19.”
If you’re curious, the College Football Playoff semifinal games this year are the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl and the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, both taking place on Dec. 31. The Capital One Orange Bowl, Allstate Sugar Bowl, Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, and Rose Bowl round out the New Year’s Six. CFP is the dream, but the Sugar Bowl sure would be nice.
Kentucky Football Bowl Projections – Sept. 12
- ESPN (Kyle Bonagura): Sugar Bowl vs. Oklahoma (Dec. 31, Noon, ESPN)
- ESPN (Mark Schlabach): ReliaQuest Bowl vs. Maryland (Jan. 2, Noon, ESPN2)
- Brett McMurphy: Sugar Bowl vs. Oklahoma State (Dec. 31, Noon, ESPN)
- College Football News: Sugar Bowl vs. Texas (Dec. 31, Noon, ESPN)
- Sports Illustrated: Citrus Bowl vs. Michigan State (Jan. 2, 1 p.m, ABC)
- CBS Sports: ReliaQuest Bowl vs. Michigan State (Jan. 2, Noon, ESPN2)
- 247 Sports: ReliaQuest Bowl vs. Notre Dame (Jan. 2, Noon, ESPN2)
Based on their tweets on Saturday, the Citrus Bowl would be happy to have the Cats back in Orlando for a second straight year.
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