After a whirlwind day of wild speculation regarding bowl destinations for the SEC's programs, Kentucky has landed in the Belk Bowl.

The Wildcats will face the ACC's Virginia Tech on Tuesday, Dec. 31, with a Noon ET kickoff at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C. The game will be broadcast by ESPN.

Kentucky initially appeared to be slated to play Indiana in the Gator Bowl on Jan. 2 in Jacksonville, Fla., but the league reportedly had some late shuffling based on the preferences of Tennessee and Mississippi State. A wild Sunday afternoon ended with the Vols going to the Gator Bowl instead and the Bulldogs playing Louisville in the Music City Bowl.

As the dust settles, Kentucky (7-5) will be making its fourth consecutive bowl appearance under head coach Mark Stoops. The Cats defeated Penn State 27-24 last season in the Citrus Bowl.

Virginia Tech (8-4) won four of its last six games to close the regular season. The two losses were narrow defeats to ranked teams in No. 14 Notre Dame (21-20) and No. 22 Virginia (39-30).

The Hokies ranked No. 52 nationally in scoring offense (30.9 ppg) and No. 44 in scoring defense (23.7 ppg). They were 83rd in total offense (389.8 ypg) and 42nd in total defense (359.9 ypg).

Kentucky and Virginia Tech were once frequent opponents. The Cats and Hokies have played 19 times with UK holding an 11-6-2 advantage. The teams last played in 1987 with the Cats winning 14-7 at Commonwealth Stadium.