While it can't be announced officially until Sunday, the University of Kentucky is headed back to the Music City Bowl for the third time in four seasons. The only question remaining is who the Wildcats' opponent will be.
Kentucky (7-5) will face a team from the Atlantic Coast Conference at Nashville's LP Field on Dec. 27 at 8:30 p.m. The game will be televised nationally by ESPN.
Exactly which ACC team that is won't be settled until Saturday's ACC championship game between Georgia Tech (10-2) and Clemson (8-4).
Music City Bowl executive director Scott Ramsey said Wednesday his bowl probably would end up with either the loser of the Georgia Tech-Clemson game or North Carolina, with Miami as an outside possibility.
The Chick-fil-A Bowl is expected to select Virginia Tech and pit it against Tennessee. Outgoing Florida State coach Bobby Bowden has requested that his final game be played in Florida, and the Gator Bowl has expressed interest in matching the Seminoles with West Virginia, the school Bowden coached before FSU.
The Champs Sports Bowl, fourth in the ACC selection process behind the BCS, Chick-fil-A and Gator, is said to be interested in Miami, which is less than a four-hour drive from Orlando.
Then comes the Music City Bowl. The Music City is contractually obligated to take the loser of the ACC championship game if that team is still available. But if the Champs Sports Bowl passes on Miami and takes the loser of the ACC championship game instead, that would free the Music City Bowl to take either the Hurricanes (9-3) or North Carolina (8-4).
Kentucky defeated Clemson 28-20 in the 2006 Music City Bowl before knocking off Florida State 35-28 the following year.
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