Bowl outlook: UNC-Kentucky shaping up

North Carolina's basketball tradition could land them in the Music City Bowl.

The Music City is lining up a potential hoops-themed matchup between the Tar Heels (8-4) and Kentucky (7-5) for their bowl game on Dec. 27 in Nashville, Tenn.

The two winningest programs in college basketball history meet annually, and are set to play this Saturday in Lexington, Ky., but the football teams haven't met since 1990.

Regardless of the outcome of Saturday's ACC championship game, it's likely that UNC and Kentucky will meet in the 12th Music City Bowl on the Sunday after Christmas.

It would be UNC's first trip to Nashville and the Wildcats' fourth, including the third in the past four years. Nashville has been good to Kentucky. The Wildcats beat Florida State in 2007 and Clemson in 2006. They have won their last three bowl games overall, topping East Carolina in the Liberty Bowl last season.

Kentucky lost to Tennessee, 30-24 in overtime on Saturday, to finish the season 3-5 in the SEC. They beat Auburn, Vanderbilt and Georgia and lost to Florida, Alabama, South Carolina, Mississippi State and Tennessee.

Vanderbilt beat Boston College in last year's Music City Bowl and the SEC has gone 3-0 since the bowl went to an ACC-SEC matchup.

UNC has lost its past two bowl games, both in Charlotte, to Big East teams. The Heels beat Auburn, 16-10 in the Peach Bowl in 2001, in their last bowl game against an SEC opponent.

The Music City Bowl kicks off at 8:30 p.m. and is televised by ESPN.

-- J.P. Giglio