UK Football

Bowl projections: UK strengthens case for New Year’s Six game

By Josh Sullivan

The University of Kentucky football team’s thrilling last-second win at Missouri set up a de facto SEC East title game between the Wildcats and Georgia on Saturday at Kroger Field. The winner of that matchup will clinch the division and face the winner of the SEC West in the conference championship game in Atlanta on Dec. 1.

UK’s win over Missouri also kept the Wildcats sitting pretty in the latest round of postseason projections, which have been updated weekly by various college football analysts since the beginning of the season. At this point, Kentucky appears to be in good position to play in a New Year’s Six bowl.

The New Year’s Six games are decided by the College Football Playoff selection committee and include both national championship semifinal matchups — this year, the Cotton and Orange Bowls.

CBS Sports’ Jerry Palm still has Kentucky projected to play in the Peach Bowl in Atlanta, but he now predicts the Cats will face Washington State. Last week Palm had Kentucky facing Texas, but the Longhorns lost to unranked Oklahoma State on Saturday. The Peach Bowl will be televised by ESPN at noon on Dec. 29.

Kentucky moved up to No. 11 in the Associated Press Poll and No. 12 in the coaches’ poll. Washington State is ranked No. 10 by the A.P. and No. 11 by the coaches after beating then-No. 24 Stanford 41-38 on Saturday.

Sports Illustrated also has Kentucky playing in the Peach Bowl but predicts the Wildcats will face Ohio State. The Buckeyes are currently in second place in the Big 10 and ranked No. 8 in both polls. 247Sports’ latest projections have Kentucky in the Peach Bowl against Texas, despite the Longhorn’s loss over the weekend.

ESPN analysts Mitch Sherman and Kyle Bonagura have Kentucky slated to face Penn State on New Year’s Day. Sherman places them in the Outback Bowl in Tampa, Fla., while Bonagura predicts they’ll meet in the Citrus Bowl in Orlando. Collegefootballnews.com also foresees a UK-Penn State matchup in the Citrus Bowl, as does veteran college football journalist Brett McMurphy of WatchStadium.com. 

SB Nation places Kentucky in the Citrus Bowl as well but has the Cats matched up with Iowa. The Sporting News has UK in the Citrus Bowl against Michigan State. The Orlando Sentinel has a UK-Michigan State matchup in the Outback Bowl.

The Outback Bowl will be shown on ESPN2 at noon and the Citrus Bowl on ABC at 1 p.m.

ESPN’s Chris Low moved Kentucky up to No. 10 in his power rankings this week. In his column, Low wrote that “If the vote were conducted right now, (UK Coach) Mark Stoops would be in the thick of the conversation for national coach of the year.”

SEC-affiliated bowl games

DateBowlLocationTimeTVOpponent
Dec. 22BirminghamBirmingham, Ala.NoonESPNAAC
Dec. 27IndependenceShreveport, La.1:30 p.m.ESPNACC*
Dec. 27TexasHouston, Texas9 p.m.ESPNBig 12
Dec. 28Music CityNashville, Tenn.1:30 p.m.ESPNACC/Big Ten*
Dec. 29BelkCharlotte, N.C.NoonABCACC*
Dec. 31LibertyMemphis, Tenn.3:45 p.m.ESPNBig 12
Dec. 31GatorJacksonville, Fla.7:30 p.m.ESPNACC/Big Ten*
Jan. 1OutbackTampa, Fla.NoonESPN2Big Ten
Jan. 1CitrusOrlando, Fla.1 p.m.ABCBig Ten
Jan. 1SugarNew Orleans, La.8:30 p.m.ESPNBig 12












Dec. 29PeachAtlantaNoonESPNNew Year’s Six
Jan. 1FiestaGlendale, Ariz.1 p.m.ESPNNew Year’s Six
Jan. 1RosePasadena, Calif.5 p.m.ESPNNew Year’s Six
Jan. 1SugarNew Orleans8:45 p.m.ESPNNew Year’s Six












Dec. 29CottonDallas, Texas4 or 8 p.m.ESPNPlayoff semis
Dec. 29OrangeMiami, Fla.4 or 8 p.m.ESPNPlayoff semis
Jan. 7National titleSanta Clara, Calif.8 p.m.ESPNSemi winners

*-Notre Dame a possible opponent

This story was originally published October 28, 2018 at 6:52 PM.

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