Alabama loss narrows options for Kentucky football bowl game. See the latest projections.

Considering an upset of Alabama was always unlikely, Kentucky football’s loss to the Crimson Tide probably did not alter the Wildcats’ bowl prospects considerably.

But it did eliminate the remaining best-case scenario options.

“It’s not over,” running back Ray Davis said after the Alabama game. “A lot of teams would love to be in the position we are. A lot of teams would love to be able to play in a bowl game at the end of the season. Unfortunately, they’re not and we are, so we’ve got to be able to keep our spirits up and know there’s a lot of football left.”

There is no scenario remaining where Kentucky would be in play for the Citrus Bowl, which has the first pick of remaining SEC teams after the College Football Playoff committee fills the playoff and other New Year’s Six games. Even if Kentucky beats South Carolina and Louisville, it is also hard to see a path to the ReliaQuest Bowl, formerly known as the Outback Bowl, since that game is generally considered the top target of the schools in the SEC’s “Pool of Six” tier. There should be at least one other team with eight or more wins who is ranked higher than Kentucky or has a head-to-head win over the Wildcats available for the ReliaQuest Bowl.

The league office makes the final assignments for its “Pool of Six” games (ReliaQuest, Gator, Texas, Music City, Duke’s Mayo and Liberty), but it takes into account the preferences of the schools and bowls. When two schools in that tier both prefer the same bowl, the tiebreaker goes to the team with the better record or head-to-head win as evidenced by the 2019 drama that saw Tennessee make a last-second decision to opt for the Gator Bowl, sending Kentucky to the Belk Bowl instead.

We know Kentucky will not play in the Music City Bowl, where Kentucky lost to Iowa last season, because avoiding repeat trips and matchups in a short window is one of the criteria used by the SEC in its “Pool of Six” assignments. Kentucky has never played in the Texas Bowl, but the SEC has sent a West Division team to that game in years one was available. Texas A&M seems like an easy selection for that game this year.

That leaves the Gator, Duke’s Mayo and Liberty bowls as Kentucky’s most realistic options with one or two more wins. Like in 2019, Tennessee could block Kentucky’s path to the Gator Bowl if it again prioritizes the warmest weather location for its bowl trip.

In years the SEC has not had enough bowl-eligible teams to fill its “Pool of Six” games, the Liberty Bowl has been the game that takes a team from another league instead. That scenario remains on the table if three SEC teams reach the New Year’s Six (likely Georgia, Alabama and one of Missouri or Ole Miss) and none of Florida, South Carolina or Mississippi State reach bowl eligibility.

A loss at South Carolina this week could drop Kentucky out of the “Pool of Six” entirely.

If South Carolina beats Kentucky and Clemson in its regular season finale, the Gamecocks would be bowl-eligible at 6-6. If Kentucky also finishes the year 6-6 with losses to South Carolina and Louisville, the Gamecocks’ preference would have priority over UK in the selection process thanks to the head-to-head win. However, since South Carolina last played in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl in 2021, the league might still opt to send the Gamecocks to the Liberty Bowl and Kentucky to the Duke’s Mayo Bowl.

If only two SEC teams finish in the top 11 of the final playoff committee ranking, a 6-6 Kentucky team probably would then get pushed down to the Birmingham or Gasparilla Bowls. ESPN assigns teams to those games, including any SEC teams left after the “Pool of Six” bowls are filled.

Kentucky football bowl projections

▪ 247Sports (Brad Crawford): Liberty Bowl vs. Kansas State

▪ Action Sports Network (Brett McMurphy): Liberty Bowl vs. Kansas State

▪ Athlon Sports (Steve Lassan): Duke’s Mayo Bowl vs. Virginia Tech

▪ CBSSports (Jerry Palm): Duke’s Mayo Bowl vs. Duke

▪ ESPN (Kyle Bonagura): Duke’s Mayo Bowl vs. Duke

▪ ESPN (Mark Schlabach): Gator Bowl vs. Clemson

▪ FoxSports (Brian Fischer): Birmingham Bowl vs. Georgia Tech

▪ The Sporting News (Bill Bender): Liberty Bowl vs. Kansas State

Next game

Kentucky at South Carolina

When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday

TV: SEC Network

Radio: WLAP-AM 630, WBUL-FM 98.1

Records: Kentucky 6-4 (3-4 SEC), South Carolina 4-6 (2-5)

Series: South Carolina leads 19-14-1

Last meeting: South Carolina won 24-14 on Oct. 8, 2022, in Lexington

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