The 2019 bowl projections are out and Kentucky football has no shortage of options

LEXINGTON - Kentucky's 2019 season opens next week at Kroger Field, but where will it end?

The Wildcats figure to be the favorite in at least six games (Toledo, Eastern Michigan, Arkansas, at Vanderbilt, UT Martin and Louisville), so Kentucky may not even need to pull off an upset to reach a fourth straight bowl game. Simply split games against Mississippi State, South Carolina, Missouri and Tennessee – as I predicted for the Courier Journal's college football preview section – and the Wildcats might be in contention for one of the SEC's more prestigious bowls. 

It would be silly to put too much stock in preseason bowl projections, but they offer a predictable mixed bag for Kentucky. Phil Steele does not include Kentucky in his bowl projections. Athlon, the Sporting News and 247Sports project Kentucky to the Music City Bowl. CBSSports and CollegeFootballNews.com project Kentucky to the Belk Bowl.

Of those choices, the Belk Bowl is the more likely destination for Kentucky because the SEC's bowl selection process emphasizes avoiding repeat trips for team's in the "Pool of Six" bowls (Music City, Belk, Outback, Texas, Gator and Liberty). UK played in the Music City Bowl in 2017, and no team has played in the same "Pool of Six" bowl twice since the SEC adopted its current selection process for the 2014 season.

At least one SEC team figures to reach the College Football Playoff, earning a spot in the Peach or Fiesta bowls, this season's semifinals. The next highest-ranked SEC team outside the playoff will go to the Sugar Bowl. The SEC could send a team to the Orange Bowl if no available Big Ten team or Notre Dame is ranked higher when its spots are filled.

Also:Projecting Kentucky football's week one depth chart after open practice

After the New Year's Six bowls are filled, the Citrus Bowl has first pick of available SEC teams. Considering Kentucky played there last season, it seems unlikely the Orlando bowl would take the Wildcats again unless they were far and away the best team available.

Kentucky seems likely to slot into the "Pool of Six" then, as it did in 2016 (Taxslayer/Gator) and 2017 (Music City). Each of the "Pool of Six" bowls conceivably has at least nine SEC teams available who have yet to play in their game since 2014 (the Liberty Bowl actually has 10 because there was no SEC team available for it in 2017), though preseason top-five teams Alabama and Georgia would have to experience nightmare seasons to fall that low and Missouri is ineligible for a bowl game unless the NCAA overturns its ban.

Still, there should be plenty of available bowl eligible teams for the "Pool of Six" games to each select a new team in the final year of the SEC's current bowl contracts. Kentucky would be in line for the Belk, Liberty, Texas or Outback bowl games in that scenario. The SEC fills its "Pool of Six" bowl slots instead of the bowls selecting teams.

Given the Outback is a Florida bowl played on Jan. 1 it would be almost any available team's first choice, so that might be out of Kentucky's reach in a six or seven win season. LSU, Texas A&M and Missouri might be more attractive options among the teams who have not played in the Outback Bowl since 2014 depending on how the final CFP rankings shake out and whether Missouri's bowl ban is overturned.

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The Texas Bowl slot has traditionally gone to an SEC West team, though Missouri and Vanderbilt played there the last two years. The Liberty Bowl would likely love a chance to host Kentucky again due to its geographic proximity, but Kentucky fans would probably be more excited about a trip to Charlotte for the Belk Bowl given the school has never played in that game.

The Birmingham Bowl, which has first pick of SEC teams after the "Pool of Six," might be in play for a six-win Kentucky team if only two SEC teams are placed in the New Year's Six bowls. The Independence Bowl has last pick of SEC teams, though it's difficult to imagine a scenario where there are enough bowl eligible SEC teams to fill that slot, especially if Missouri's bowl ban is upheld.

Here's my projection for the SEC bowl games, operating under the assumption Missouri remains ineligible.

Peach Bowl (CFP Semifinal) – Alabama

Sugar Bowl – Georgia

Orange Bowl – LSU

Citrus Bowl – Florida

Texas Bowl – Auburn

Belk Bowl – Kentucky

Music City Bowl – Mississippi State

Taxslayer Gator Bowl – South Carolina

Liberty Bowl – Tennessee

Outback Bowl – Texas A&M

Social Hour

It was pool day for Kentucky Wednesday as camp winds down.

These Louisville uniforms honoring Muhammad Ali are fire, as the kids say.

How about this catch from former UK outfielder Ka'ai Tom in a minor league game?

Vince Marrow has some thoughts about these preseason rankings and bowl projections.

What We're reading

If you missed any of Wednesday's content from the CJ sports' staff, you've got a lot of catching up to do.

Cameron Teague Robinson takes subscribers behind the scenes of Scott Satterfield's rebuilding project at Louisville.

Gentry Estes traveled to South Bend, Indiana to get the Notre Dame perspective on Louisville's opener.

David Kim has the story of a Southern Indiana police officer who also coaches high school football.

Meet the most interesting college football player you may never have heard of: Kentucky walk-on fullback Drew Schlegel, the future alpaca farmer.

Jason Frakes has too much good Kentucky high school football season preview content to link in one spot, so we'll direct you to the high school sports page where you can read breakdowns of each class.

Jon Hale:jahale@courier-journal.com; Twitter:@JonHale_CJ. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today:www.courier-journal.com/jonh.