Pundit calls for UK-TCU bowl game; others remain skeptical
While Kentucky has four wins with a clear path to the postseason some pundits are still skeptical of the Cats' postseason forecast.
GAME GRADES FOR UK-MSU | VIDEO: Mark Stoops postgame
INSTANT ANALYSIS: UK 40, MSU 38 | HOB Discussion: Missouri favored against UK
Jason Kirk of SB Nation does not believe Kentucky will be selected for a bowl game at the end of the regular season. And, interestingly enough, Kirk believes a 5-7 Missouri team will be in the Texas Bowl on Dec. 28, taking on Houston. The reason? The Tigers would get the nod because of its APR score. But that means Kirk also believes Kentucky will finish below .500.
Dave Miller of Campus Insiders also doesn't have Kentucky bowling even though the Cats sit at 4-3 (3-2) and alone in second place in the SEC East. He also has Vanderbilt, Missouri, South Carolina and Mississippi State missing out on the postseason, meaning he believes the Cats would finish below .500 and the league would fail to fill all of its postseason spots.
McMurphy has Kentucky taking on Temple in the Birmingham Bowl on Dec. 29 while Schlabach picks Kentucky to take on TCU in the Liberty Bowl. That would take place in Memphis, Tenn., on Dec. 30.
Not all websites or pundits dabbling in bowl projections have updated their predictions following Week Eight of the season, and those outlets and authors haven't taken Kentucky's win over the Bulldogs into account.
Given that some Vegas lines already have Kentucky opening as an underdog on the road at Missouri, and the fact that the Cats could very well be underdogs against Georgia in Commonwealth Stadium, it's understandable that some would still be doubtful about the program's bowl forecast.
But with a game remaining against Austin Peay, a game Kentucky will be heavily favored to win, the Cats would need to win just one of their other four remaining games to get to 6-6. So it's a little odd that some pundits seem to be slow in coming around.