Week 5 Bowl Projections: Florida appears in projections

College football season is well underway, and the countdown to the 2019 Citrus Bowl continues in Orlando.

Though the Citrus Bowl has been a traditional Big Ten/SEC match-up for more than two decades, last season’s game featured the Notre Dame fighting Irish, the second participant affiliated with the ACC since 1992. Notre Dame’s appearance against LSU (a 21-17 Fighting Irish victory) was the result of the Citrus Bowl’s unique relationship with the Orange Bowl in Miami.

In years where the Orange Bowl hosts a Big Ten team (like last season, when it featured Wisconsin), the Citrus Bowl replaces its traditional Big Ten pick with the top non-Playoff selection from the ACC. This season, the Orange Bowl is hosting a CFP semifinal game, meaning the Citrus Bowl is guaranteed to host a Big Ten-SEC matchup.

Here’s a look at the media’s Citrus Bowl picks after Week 5:

Mitch Sherman (ESPN): Wisconsin vs. Florida
Kyle Bonagura (ESPN): Michigan vs. Auburn
Eric Single (Sports Illustrated):  Michigan State vs. Kentucky
Jason Kirk (SBNation): Wisconsin vs. Kentucky
Jerry Palm (CBS Sports): Wisconsin vs. Auburn
Bill Bender (Sporting News): Michigan vs. Kentucky
Brant Parsons (Orlando Sentinel): Michigan State vs. Auburn
Brent McMurphy (Stadium): Wisconsin vs. LSU
CollegeFootballNews.com: Wisconsin vs. Auburn
247 Sports: Wisconsin vs. Florida
USA Today: Iowa vs. Auburn

Wisconsin vs. Auburn

Wisconsin defeated Auburn 24-10 in the 2006 Citrus Bowl

• The Badgers and the Tigers have squared off on four previous occasions, with Wisconsin leading the series 2-1-1.
• The two teams faced off in the 2006 Citrus Bowl. The Badgers won the game 24-10.
• This would mark Auburn’s sixth appearance in the Citrus Bowl. The Tigers are 3-2 all-time when playing in the Citrus Bowl.
• Wisconsin has made three previous trips to the Citrus Bowl with a record of 2-1 in their three appearances.

Wisconsin vs. Florida

• This would be the first matchup between Wisconsin and Florida.
• Florida and Georgia are tied with a record six Citrus Bowl appearances. The Gators hold a 2-4 record in those games.
• The Gators last played in the Citrus Bowl in 2016 and lost to Michigan 41-7.

Wisconsin vs. Kentucky

Benny Snell Jr. ranks seventh nationally with 127.8 rushing yards per game.

• The Badgers and Wildcats have only met once in the 1984 Hall of Fame Classic. Kentucky won the game 20-19
• Kentucky has never played in the Citrus Bowl and has not won a bowl game since the Wildcats defeated East Carolina in the 2009 Liberty Bowl.
• This matchup would feature two of the nation’s premier running backs — Kentucky junior Benny Snell Jr. ranks seventh nationally with 127.8 rushing yards per game, while Wisconsin sophomore Jonathan Taylor leads all FBS rushers with 157 yards per contest.
• Overall, Kentucky averages 254.2 rushing yards per game, while Wisconsin averages 266.3 rushing yards per game.

Michigan vs. Auburn

• These programs have only met twice before with the series knotted at one game each.
• The most recent meeting between the Wolverines and Tigers was in the 2001 Citrus Bowl. Michigan won the game 31-28.
• The Wolverines have made five Citrus Bowl appearances, with the most recent coming in a 41-7 win over Florida in the 2016 Citrus Bowl.

LSU has appeared in each of the past two Citrus Bowl games.

Michigan vs. Kentucky

• The Wolverines and the Wildcats have not met since 1908, when the University of Kentucky was known as Kentucky State College.
• Michigan won the game 62-0.

Wisconsin vs. LSU

• The Badgers and Tigers have previously met four times.
• The Tigers lead the all-time series 3-1.
• The two programs last faced each other the start the 2016 season, in a game played at Lambeau Field. The Badgers won 16-14.
• This would be LSU’s third straight Citrus Bowl appearance.

Michigan State vs. Auburn

• The Spartans and the Tigers met once, in the 1938 Orange Bowl. The Tigers won the game 6-0.
• The Spartans have played in three previous Citrus Bowl games, including a 37-34 victory over Steve Spurrier’s Florida Gators in 2000.
• Michigan State has also made one appearance in the Camping World Bowl, a 24-21 defeat at the hands of Boston College in the 2007 game.

Michigan State vs. Kentucky

Iowa won the 2005 Citrus Bowl in dramatic fashion, defeating LSU on a hail mary on the final play of the game.

• The Spartans and the Wildcats faced each other four times from 1944 to 1947. The programs have not met since.
• Kentucky has started the season 3-0 in the SEC for the first time since 1977 and its No. 13 ranking is the program’s highest since 2007.

Iowa vs. Auburn

• This matchup would be the first meeting between the Hawkeyes and Tigers.
• Iowa has only made one previous appearance in the Citrus Bowl – a 30-25 victory over LSU thanks to a last-second hail mary in the 2005 Citrus Bowl.
• This would be a matchup of top tier defenses, Auburn is tied for third nationally in scoring defense (12.6 points per game) while Iowa is tied for fifth (13.0).