Kentucky Football Bowl Projections after the Tennessee loss

Few expected Kentucky to beat Tennessee, but the manner in which the humiliating defeat took place was eye-opening. Last week, the Citrus Bowl was one of the options on the table in Kentucky’s bowl projections. Now, the Music City Bowl or the ReliaQuest Bowl are the trendy choices, with Ole Miss taking the Citrus Bowl spot.

• ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura: Gator Bowl vs. Wake Forest (Dec. 30, 3:30 PM, ESPN, TIAA Bank Field, Jacksonville, FL)
• ESPN’s Mark Schlabach: Music City Bowl vs. Maryland (Dec. 31, Noon, ESPN, Nissan Stadium, Nashville TN)
• Brett McMurphy: ReliaQuest Bowl vs. Illinois (Jan. 2, Noon, ESPN2, Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL)
• CBS Sports’ Jerry Palm: Music City Bowl vs. Maryland (Dec. 31, Noon, ESPN, Nissan Stadium, Nashville TN)
• Sporting News’ Bill Bender: Music City Bowl vs. Wisconsin (Dec. 31, Noon, ESPN, Nissan Stadium, Nashville TN)
• College Football News: ReliaQuest Bowl vs. Purdue (Jan. 2, Noon, ESPN2, Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL)

As you probably know by now, the Music City Bowl takes place at the exact same time as the Kentucky vs. Louisville basketball game. I still believe Kentucky will do what it can to avoid that, but maybe not if it means accepting a less prestigious bowl bid. The Vegas Bowl is a fun possibility, but all projections currently have an SEC West team in that slot.

The Tennessee loss was jarring; however, Kentucky can still finish the season strong. If so, the Cats will celebrate their seventh straight postseason in Florida or maybe even Vegas. That journey starts on Saturday at Missouri.