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Kansas football bowl projections ahead of Jayhawks’ Big 12 game against Cincinnati

LAWRENCE — Kansas football suffered a 31-27 loss this past weekend against Kansas Sate, in what was both a rivalry and Big 12 Conference matchup.

The Jayhawks (7-4, 4-4 in Big 12) controlled significant stretches of the game. They even had the lead going into halftime and the fourth quarter. But the now-No. 20 Wildcats (8-3, 6-2 in Big 12) were able to do just enough to capitalize on late opportunities and come away with the win.

Now, Kansas looks ahead to a game Saturday on the road against Cincinnati (3-8, 1-7 in Big 12). It’s the regular season finale for both programs. And a win for the Jayhawks could do a lot to help ensure they go to the bowl game that they would want to be a part of.

Before that scheduled 6:30 p.m. (CT) kickoff, which will be televised on ESPN2, take a look at which bowl games the Jayhawks are projected to play in this year:

USA Today Sports’ Erick Smith: Guaranteed Rate Bowl vs. Wisconsin

This is a Dec. 26 bowl game that will be played in Phoenix, Arizona. The Badgers are 6-5 overall so far this season with a 4-4 mark against Big Ten Conference opponents. Both teams have played and beaten Illinois this season.

ESPN’s Mark Schlabach: Guaranteed Rate Bowl vs. Northwestern

247Sports’ Brad Crawford: Guaranteed Rate Bowl vs. Northwestern

This is a Dec. 26 bowl game that will be played in Phoenix, Arizona. The Wildcats are 6-5 overall so far this season with a 4-4 mark against Big Ten opponents. The teams do not have any common opponents that they have played this season, but Northwestern does play Illinois in its regular season finale.

ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura: AutoZone Liberty Bowl vs. South Carolina

This is a Dec. 29 bowl game that will be played in Memphis, Tennessee. The Gamecocks are 5-6 overall this season with a 3-5 mark against Southeastern Conference opponents. The teams don’t have any common opponents that they have played this season.

CBS Sports’ Jerry Palm: Guaranteed Rate Bowl vs. Maryland

This is a Dec. 26 bowl game that will be played in Phoenix, Arizona. The Terrapins are 6-5 overall so far this season and 3-5 against Big Ten opponents. The teams have both played Illinois this season, with Kansas beating the Fighting Illini and Maryland losing.

Kansas coach Lance Leipold yells toward a referee during the first quarter of a game earlier this year against Oklahoma inside David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.
Kansas coach Lance Leipold yells toward a referee during the first quarter of a game earlier this year against Oklahoma inside David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.

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Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He is the National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas for 2022. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas football bowl projections ahead of Big 12 game at Cincinnati