Kentucky Bowl Projections after the loss to Missouri

A bowl game is not exactly on the front of the minds of Kentucky football fans right now. The Wildcats have lost two straight games. The season feels like it’s hanging in the balance after Mark Stoops’ squad took a haymaker from Missouri at Kroger Field.

Despite the loss, Kentucky is still 5-2, one win away from bowl eligibility. Kentucky is seeking a school-record eighth straight bowl appearance. Where could it be? After dreaming of a New Year’s date in Florida, the Big Blue Nation is now looking at different potential destinations.

ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura: Duke’s Mayo Bowl vs. Clemson (Dec. 27, 5:30 p.m., ESPN, Charlotte)
ESPN’s Mark Schlabach: Liberty Bowl vs. Oklahoma State (Dec. 29, 3:30 p.m., ESPN, Memphis)
Action’s Brett McMurphy: Birmingham Bowl vs. Houston (Dec. 23, Noon, ABC, Birmingham)
CBS’s Jerry Palm: Birmingham Bowl vs. Central Michigan (Dec. 23, Noon, ABC, Birmingham)
247 Sports’ Brad Crawford: Music City Bowl vs. Wisconsin (Dec. 30, 2 pm, ABC, Nashville)
Sporting News’ Bill Bender: Gator Bowl vs Clemson (Dec. 29, Noon, ESPN, Jacksonville)
Saturday Down South’s Ethan Stone: Gator Bowl vs. Miami (Dec. 29, Noon, ESPN, Jacksonville)
College Football News: Texas Bowl vs. TCU (Dec. 27, 9 pm, ESPN, Houston)

Most Likely Bowl Destinations

KSR’s Adam Luckett crunched the numbers. Even though the Cats will conclude the season with five straight games against Power Five opponents, Kentucky is only a projected underdog in two games, both of which are at home. As bad as it may seem right now, big wins are on the table that can still make this season special.

An optimist may foresee a scenario where Kentucky is back in Florida this winter. A couple of prognosticators believe the Gator is possible, and if more big wins roll in, the Outback Bowl is doable.

More realistically, the pool of bowl games for seven and eight-win teams feels like the most likely destination for this Kentucky football team. A year after attending the Music City Bowl, you can cross Nashville off the board. The Texas Bowl was built for teams in the SEC West. A mayo bath might be on the table for Mark Stoops in Charlotte. If things really go south and the Cats only pick up one more win, Kentucky may fall all the way to Birmingham, the only bowl game with SEC ties played before Christmas. To say that would be less than ideal is a nice way to put it.

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