OFFICIAL: Kentucky will play Virginia Tech in the Belk Bowl

by:Jack Pilgrim12/08/19
The chaos is officially over. After news originally broke that Kentucky would take on Indiana in the Gator Bowl, the SEC did some readjusting and decided to place the Wildcats in the Belk Bowl in Charlotte, NC. The opponent? The Virginia Tech Hokies. Here was the official announcement from the Belk Bowl: https://twitter.com/belkbowl/status/1203788989372731392?s=20 Kentucky also announced the official bowl selection this afternoon: https://twitter.com/UKFootball/status/1203789314976436226?s=20 The Belk Bowl will take place on New Year's Eve at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte at 12:00 p.m. ET. So what happened with the previous Gator Bowl announcement where Kentucky was set to take on Indiana? According to KSR's own Matt Jones, Kentucky originally thought they were going to Jacksonville, while Tennessee was anticipating bid to the Music City Bowl to take on Louisville. From there, chaos ensued this afternoon. "Hold up, may be a change," Jones tweeted at 3:31 p.m. ET. "Now hearing a last minute switch to Belk." "At this moment, source tells me Kentucky believes it has been switched to Belk Bowl," Jones said in a follow-up tweet at 3:44 p.m. "Tennessee and Kentucky fighting for Gator. But SEC hasn't told anyone officially." "SEC has apparently switched original picks on the Gator/Belk/Music City," he continued. "Teams still lobbying." From there, the change seemed official. "I am told Tenneessee ended up winning the argument," Jones wrote at 4:01 p.m. "Kentucky and Virginia Tech in the Belk on New Year's Eve." And then at 4:07 p.m., explained the situation in its entirety on his Twitter page. "Bottom line: SEC had agreement where Tennessee was in Music City and Kentucky in Gator. Tennessee changed its mind this afternoon and made Gator the preference. Because they had same record and beat UK head to head, deference was given to them by SEC." The SEC also added a brief explanation, noting that the conference's goal is to "include no repeat appearances within 3-year period." https://twitter.com/SEC/status/1203785605232111619?s=20 As for Kentucky's new official opponent, Virginia Tech went 8-4 overall and 5-3 in the ACC, with wins over Old Dominion (31-17), Furman (24-17), Miami (42-35), Rhode Island (34-17), North Carolina (43-41), No. 22 Wake Forest (36-17), Georgia Tech (45-0), and Pittsburgh (28-0). Virginia Tech ranks No. 27 nationally in run defense, allowing just 123.3 yards per contest. On the flip side, UK averages 274.4 yards per game on the ground, good for No. 4 in the nation. This will be the 18th meeting between the Wildcats and Hokies, with Kentucky leading the all-time series 11-6. Public tickets for the Belk Bowl will go on sale Monday, Dec. 9 at 9:00 a.m. ET, and tickets will be sold on a first-come, first-serve basis at UKFootballTix.com. You can also find tickets at BelkTickets.com.

Discuss This Article

Comments have moved.

Join the conversation and talk about this article and all things Kentucky Sports in the new KSR Message Board.

KSBoard

2024-03-28