Stadium projects Kentucky vs. Northwestern in the Outback Bowl

Could the Kentucky Wildcats find themselves matched up with a familiar bowl foe when postseason play arrives?

In Brett McMurphy’s latest bowl projections released this afternoon, Kentucky is slated to take on the Northwestern Wildcats in the Outback Bowl.

UK previously played Northwestern in the Music City Bowl back in 2017, where Mark Stoops’ Wildcats fell by a final score of 24-23. As you likely remember well, running back Benny Snell was controversially ejected in the first half for making contact with an official, leaving UK without its biggest star in the backfield.

In this scenario, the Wildcats would get their rematch against Pat Fitzgerald’s group, and do so in an upper-tier bowl.

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As for McMurphy’s other major projections, you can find those below:

College Football Playoff

Championship – Jan. 10 (CFP semifinal winners)
Projection: Alabama vs. Ohio State

Semifinals
Sugar Bowl – Jan. 1 (CFP semifinal)
Projection: Alabama (CFP No. 1) vs. Oregon (CFP No. 4)

Rose Bowl – Jan. 1 (CFP semifinal)
Projection: Ohio State (CFP No. 2) vs. Clemson (CFP No. 3)

New Year’s 6 Bowls

Orange Bowl – Jan. 2 (ACC vs. SEC/Big Ten)
Projection: Notre Dame vs. Texas A&M

Fiesta Bowl – Jan. 2 (at-large vs. at-large)
Projection: USC vs. Wisconsin

Peach Bowl – Jan. 1 (at-large vs. at-large)
Projection: Georgia vs. Cincinnati*

Cotton Bowl – Dec. 30 (at-large vs. at-large)
Projection: Oklahoma State vs. Florida

Earlier today, KSR’s Nick Roush published all of the other recent national bowl projections and where Kentucky stands in each, with the possibilities being all over the place: