Wildcats Heading To Sunshine State
Following what’s becoming an annual Thanksgiving tradition, whipping up on Louisville, the Cats finished the season with a 9-3 record. That’s only the fourth time since 1950 UK has won that many games in the regular season. As a result Mark Stoops’ club is heading for a really great game somewhere in Florida. However what we don’t know is where. Let’s take a look at the different landing spots and opponents with Kentucky’s Possible Bowl Destinations.
“We’re Going To Disney Land”
The first possible destination is the Citrus Bowl in Orlando. Along with the Cats, bowl organizers are also looking at Arkansas and Texas A&M. Many times they choose who’s ranked highest and in that case it’s Arkansas. Other times they take who hasn’t been there the longest. The Big Blue Nation knows three years ago Kentucky beat Penn State in Orlando capping a 10 win season. On the other hand the Razorbacks last played in the game in 1999 and Texas A&M has never played there.
However Kentucky has a few things going in its favor. First they have the best record of all the teams. Second organizers remember 35,000 plus members of the BBN invaded Orlando. Last and possibly most important there’s a great story line with the Cats we will talk about next.
Playing His Alama Mater
At some point every year everyone who does bowl projections matches up Kentucky versus Iowa. If it’s ever going to happen then this is the year. The Hawkeyes head into the Big 10 title game against Michigan on Saturday. Assuming they lose then they are most likely the Citrus Bowl representative. The UK head man was a defensive back for Iowa from 1986-1988 and also started his coaching career there too. The two schools have never met on the gridiron. As a result one long time sportswriter believes that game may be too good to pass up.
Interesting conversation with one of my bowl buddies just now and now looks like Citrus wants UK no matter what Outback wants. so as long as Ole Miss in NY6, look for Cats in Citrus. Could be the Iowa-Stoops storyline that Citrus really wants
— Vaughts' Views (@vaughtsviews) December 2, 2021
A Dream Scenario?
Not a whole lot is being said about it what happens if Iowa wins on Saturday? The short answer is possible bedlam. In our recent bowl projections we have UK and Iowa playing. In addition we have Ohio State in the Rose Bowl. If the Hawkeyes win could the Buckeyes fall down to the Citrus?
Many UK fans have been clamoring for years to see the Cats and OSU play. The thought of Josh Paschal against C.J. Stroud and the Buckeye offense is a pretty exciting option. The two schools have met three times in history with Ohio State winning all three. However they haven’t met since 1935.
If not OSU then Michigan State is another option. These two schools split a four game series from 1944-1947 and haven’t played since. Again seeing the Kentucky defense trying to stop Kenneth Walker III is pretty exciting.
So what if Kentucky doesn’t go to Orlando? As we continue looking at Kentucky’s possible bowl destinations let’s check the other landing spot.
It’s Been A Long Time
If Kentucky doesn’t play in the Citrus Bowl then their likely destination is 84 miles southwest in Tampa. This would be the Cats’ second trip to the Outback Bowl. Exactly 23 years to the day the Hal Mumme coached team led by Tim Couch took on Penn State. This time the Nittany Lions came out victorious 26-14.
About 40,000 Kentucky fans invaded Tampa for this contest. As a point of interest yours truly was part of the media contingent covering the game and it was one of my most exciting professional experiences ever.
Should the Cats play in the Outback Bowl their likely opponent is the Wisconsin Badgers. Paul Chryst’s team started the season 1-3 before running off seven straight wins. However they lost their regular season finale 23-13 to Minnesota.
The two schools have only met once in history, but it was a doozy in the 1984 Hall Of Fame Classic. Joey Worley nailed a 52 yard field goal with 8:35 to play giving the Cats a 20-19 lead. The Badgers drove down the field but the UK defense held forcing a field goal attempt. However the snap was bobbled and UK ran out the clock giving Jerry Claiborne his only bowl win while in Lexington. It’s a different sport but Kentucky fans have memories of Wisconsin ending John Calipari’s bid of going 40-0 back in the 2015 Final Four. No matter the sport a chance to beat the Badgers in anything is always good.
Another option is the Golden Gophers but that seems like a longshot. Muck like the Hawkeyes UK and Minnesota have never played before.
One Other Possibility
The other possible location for Kentucky is the Gator Bowl. However with the Cats playing and winning in last year’s game that one’s highly unlikely. Bowl organizers rarely want a team playing in the same game two consecutive years. Clemson is the likely ACC team headed to Jacksonville and the Cats and Tigers have met three times in bowls. UK won the 2006 Music City Bowl while the Tigers won the 1993 Peach and 2009 Music City Bowls.
Thanks for checking out Kentucky’s possible bowl destinations with us here at Last Word On College Football. Where do you think the Wildcats end up? You can use the comment section below or leave a comment on Twitter.
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