Kentucky’s loss to Tennessee has started to shift the conversation around the Wildcats’ postseason path. The Cats are still hanging around in some College Football Playoff projections, but the general feeling is clear: they’ll need to win out to stay in that race. And because not everyone is buying that scenario, Kentucky is beginning to pop back up in more traditional bowl forecasts.
One of the more interesting landing spots comes from On3’s Brett McMurphy, who has Kentucky in the ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa, Florida, on December 31 against Wisconsin. That would set up a New Year’s Eve matchup with a familiar name for Kentucky fans, and yes, it would offer a chance to avenge the basketball team’s loss to the Badgers in 2015.
The Athletic’s Scott Dochterman also sends Kentucky to the ReliaQuest Bowl, but with a much heavier opponent waiting: Ohio State. The Buckeyes are out of the CFP picture after back-to-back losses to USC and Oregon, including that 41-28 loss to the Ducks. It’s not the postseason either program imagined, but a bowl game against Ohio State would still be a notable consolation if Kentucky misses the playoff field.
ESPN’s projections split Kentucky in a different direction. Mark Schlabach has the Wildcats in the Citrus Bowl against Iowa on Jan. 2 in Orlando, while Kyle Bonagura has them facing Iowa in the Music City Bowl on Dec. 30 in Nashville. Either way, that would be a step down from the hopes Kentucky had just a week ago.
There’s still time for the picture to change. The next major checkpoint comes tomorrow night, when the new CFP rankings are revealed on ESPN before the Champions Classic, giving everyone a better sense of how the selection committee views Kentucky after the Tennessee loss.
The bowl projections currently listed for Kentucky are: Brett McMurphy, On3: ReliaQuest Bowl vs.
Wisconsin (Dec. 31, Tampa)
Scott Dochterman, The Athletic: ReliaQuest Bowl vs. Ohio State (Dec. 31, Tampa)
Mark Schlabach, ESPN: Citrus Bowl vs. Iowa (Jan. 2, Orlando)
Kyle Bonagura, ESPN: Music City Bowl vs. Iowa (Dec. 30, Nashville)
Kentucky’s loss also got the SEC Shorts treatment this week. The skit had Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, and Texas sent to detention for beating up Kentucky, LSU, Ole Miss, and Missouri. It also worked in the Kentucky fans who painted Tennessee’s rock and then called the cops, and it ended with the Cats’ (rented) Cinderella shoes hanging from a power line.
Hopefully, we get to retrieve them soon. Beat Florida.
In Other News...
Mikkel Skinner Just Added Fresh Fuel To Kentuckys Tennessee Frustration
Mikkel Skinner added a little more edge to Kentuckys lingering frustration after the Wildcats loss to Tennessee, saying the Volunteers used fake crowd noise during the game. The remark only sharpened the sense that this rivalry still has plenty of bite, especially with Tennessee coming away with a 34-6 win and moving to 7-2 on the season.
Josh Heupel, meanwhile, kept his focus on the next opponent and on the details that matter most in the week ahead. He also touched on defending tight ends, a nod to the kind of game-planning Tennessee has been leaning on, including its approach against Skinner, as the Volunteers try to keep building on the momentum from Saturday. [Read more 🡒]
Kentucky Still Has SEC Attention But The Pressure Just Changed
Week 10 brought another reset to the national picture, and Kentucky still has a place in it. The National Football Foundations latest Super 16 poll includes five SEC teams, with Georgia holding the No. 1 spot after its win over Ole Miss and Alabama, Texas and Tennessee all clustered inside the top 10. Kentucky checks in at No. 13, a sign that the Wildcats remain part of the broader SEC conversation even as the race around them keeps tightening.
For Kentucky, the ranking is less about flash and more about staying visible in a league where every weekend can rearrange the hierarchy. The updated poll reflects how quickly the College Football Playoff discussion is shifting after recent results, and it leaves the Wildcats in a familiar position: still relevant, still in the mix, but needing the right kind of finish to turn attention into something more meaningful. [Read more 🡒]
Kentuckys Biggest Concern From The Win Wont Go Away Before Kansas
James Madisons shot chart against Kentucky was a reminder that even in an 89-80 win, there are loose ends to clean up. The Dukes launched 45 three-pointers, tying a program record for the most by an opponent, and Kentucky survived by leaning on its interior scoring edge rather than tightening things up on the perimeter.
Kansas is the next test, and that is what makes the issue linger. Kentucky got the result it needed, but the perimeter defense that let James Madison keep firing is still in the conversation, and now it has to hold up against a bigger stage and a more dangerous opponent. [Read more 🡒]