John Clay's Sidelines

Update: ESPN’s Chris Low has UK headed to the Papajohns.com Bowl, but I just don’t see it. That’s the same day as the UK-U of L basketball game. But Chris does have excellent SEC sources, and the WWL does have that SEC contract.

Get ready for the bowl projections, that annual early-December rite of passage when every college grid writer and every web site thinks it can climb inside the heads of the conference reps and the bowl reps, roll the dice, and decipher the destinations for the bowl eligible.

As for Kentucky, CBS SportsLine sees the Cats headed back to the Music City Bowl for the third time in four years. That seems a logical choice, given the logjam that occurred after Saturday’s games. Kentucky, Arkansas, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee and Auburn are all 7-5. That’s six teams that could go to any of six different bowls. And the Music City is on Dec. 27, two days after Christmas, so it would love a school with a shorter travel plan. Kentucky is next door. It knows the way to Nashville. It’s been there before.

Meanwhile, pay no attention to this Bleacher Report rundown from someone named Chris Yow, who thinks UK played in the Music City Bowl last year.

Check back as other sites will be offering their projections throughout the day.

Here are my SEC projections:

• BCS title game (Jan. 7, Pasadena): Florida, after beating Alabama in the SEC Championship game.

• Sugar Bowl (Jan. 1, New Orleans): Alabama, after losing to Florida in SEC Championship game.

• Capital One (Jan. 1, Orlando): LSU, which saved the berth thanks to 33-30 overtime win over Arkansas.

• Outback (Jan. 1, Tampa): Tennessee, as Vols get the nod thanks to wins over Georgia and Kentucky.

• Cotton (Jan. 2, Dallas): Ole Miss, though the Rebels don’t want to go and Dallas doesn’t really want them.

• Chick-fil-A (Dec. 31, Atlanta): Georgia, thanks to big win over Georgia Tech which revitalized fan base.

• Music City (Dec. 27, Nashville): Kentucky, as Cats have to settle after heartbreaking loss to Tennessee.

• Papajohns.com (Jan. 2, Birmingham): Auburn, though Tigers could climb higher thanks to good showing versus Bama.

• Liberty (Jan. 2, Memphis): Arkansas, as Memphis wants the Razorbacks to play Houston.

• Independence (Dec. 28, Shreveport): South Carolina, as Gamecocks make another trip to Shreveport.