USA TODAY Sports’ bowl projections has Gators playing an AAC team

According to USA TODAY Sports’ latest bowl projections after Week 12, the Florida Gators will face a team from the American Athletic Conference in December

USA TODAY Sports’ Erick Smith released his updated bowl projections following Week 12 of the college football season with the Florida Gators taking on the Tulane Green Wave in the Birmingham Bowl to be played on Tuesday, Dec. 27.

Florida currently sits at 6-5, with all five losses coming in SEC play. They had a great month before losing to Vanderbilt. In losses against LSU and Georgia, the offense managed to establish its running identity, while the defense continued to improve and take the ball away multiple times. In the Vanderbilt game, the team looked disjointed and unable to play the way they wanted to. Injuries and penalties played a role as well.

Tulane is coming off a 59-24 victory over SMU. Their 9-2 record is the best turnaround in the country, having gone 2-10 last season. They are in contention for the American Conference title and a New Year’s Six bowl appearance. The easiest way to make an appearance in the conference title game would be with a win over Cincinnati this week. They could still make it if they lose, but they would need multiple tiebreak scenarios to go their way.

That Tulane vs. Cincinnati game will be played on Friday at noon EST. Florida will also play on Black Friday when they head to Tallahassee to take on in-state rival Florida State with kickoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m. EST. Both games will be broadcast on ABC Sports.

[mm-video type=video id=01gjbb70q2veexkqf85z playlist_id=01eqbz250mdknqvm5z player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gjbb70q2veexkqf85z/01gjbb70q2veexkqf85z-b68ebd99e4d9dc8d202eb86f82c5e847.jpg]

[lawrence-related id=96455,96453,96437,96430,96267]

[listicle id=96401]

[listicle id=96382]

[listicle id=96297]

[vertical-gallery id=96344]

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Let us know your thoughts and comment on this story below. Join the conversation today!