Clemson to face Kentucky in TaxSlayer Gator Bowl

The Tigers (8-4) get a great bowl matchup against a solid Kentucky (7-5).

Welp, it's a lot shorter trip than San Diego.

No. 22 Clemson will take on Kentucky on December 29th (Noon, ESPN) in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl. Earlier bowl projections had the Tigers either heading to San Diego or New York for their postseason game, but after the College Football Playoff dust settled and Florida State was left out, the Gator Bowl made Clemson one of their top priorities.

Clemson has faced Kentucky 13 times, most recently in 2009 / Clemson Athletics

After starting the season at 4-4, losing back-to-back games to Miami and NC State, Clemson's season faced an interesting fork in the road. Players could've left the team, preparing for the NFL Draft, and Clemson would've potentially missed a bowl. Instead, the Tigers took the other path, galvanizing their team and fanbase and ripping off four wins in a row, including victories over North Carolina and Notre Dame, to finish the year.

Kentucky, meanwhile, started the season 5-0 before being trounced by Georgia. The Wildcats would lose five of their next six with their lone victory coming over Mississippi State. They did finish the season strong, taking down Louisville 38-31 a week before the ACC Championship appearance. 

Clemson is 5-8 all-time against Kentucky, winning the most recent matchup in 2009 in the Music City Bowl to cap off Dabo Swinney's first year at the helm for Clemson.