2019 Belk Bowl
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| 2019 Belk Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||
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| 18th Belk Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | December 31, 2019 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Season | 2019 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | Bank of America Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Charlotte, North Carolina | ||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | Lynn Bowden (QB, Kentucky)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Favorite | Virginia Tech by 1.5[2] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | David Alvarez (Big 12)[3] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 44,138[4] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Payout | US$4,780,461[5] | ||||||||||||||||||
| United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||
| Network | ESPN & ESPN Radio | ||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | ESPN: Beth Mowins (play-by-play), Anthony Becht (analyst) and Rocky Boiman (sideline) ESPN Radio: Chris Cotter (play-by-play), Mark Herzlich (analyst) and Kelsey Riggs (sideline) | ||||||||||||||||||
The 2019 Belk Bowl was a college football bowl game played on December 31, 2019, with kickoff at 12:00 p.m. EST on ESPN.[6] It was the 18th edition of the Belk Bowl, and was one of the 2019–20 bowl games concluding the 2019 FBS football season. The game was sponsored by department store chain Belk.
Virginia Tech Hokies
The game was played between the Virginia Tech Hokies from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and the Kentucky Wildcats from the Southeastern Conference (SEC). This was the 20th meeting between the programs; Kentucky entered the game leading the all-time series, 11–6–2.[7]
Virginia Tech entered the bowl with an 8–4 record (5–3 in conference). They finished second in the ACC's Coastal Division.[8] The Hokies were 1–1 against ranked FBS teams, defeating Wake Forest and losing to Notre Dame. This was Virginia Tech's second Belk Bowl; their 2016 team won that season's Belk Bowl over Arkansas, 35–24.
Kentucky Wildcats
Kentucky entered the bowl with a 7–5 record (3–5 in conference). They finished in the three-way tie for fourth place in the SEC's East Division. The Wildcats lost to both ranked FBS teams that they played, Florida and Georgia. This was Kentucky's first appearance in the Belk Bowl.