Gator Bowl Against Ohio State Still Likely Destination For Florida Gators

The Florida Gators, who finished the season with a sparkling 6-6 overall record, are still likely to face the Ohio State Buckeyes in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl on January 2 in Jacksonville. While nothing is official as of yet, it appears that, with roughly the fifth pick by a non-BCS bowl with an SEC tie-ins, the Gator Bowl will select the Gators.

There are some obvious drawbacks for the Gator Bowl selecting the Florida Gators, but none of them are Gator fan-related. Because the Gators are an in-state team, the city of Jacksonville's hotels and restaurants might not profit from selecting the Gators as they would from selecting two teams that are from out of state. But selecting Ohio State to play Florida would be a good pick, especially considering the whole Urban Cry ... Meyer thing.

There was some talk that the Chick-fil-A Bowl -- with the pick right before the Gator Bowl -- could select the Gators. That would be part of an attempt to avoid another Auburn vs. Clemson match-up this season, because those two teams begin the season next year in Atlanta. Well, the Gators don't have to worry about that, because Clemson won the ACC Championship Game last night. The Chick-fil-A Bowl, because of Virginia Tech's loss to Clemson is expected to take the Hokies.

Unless information leaks out early (which we'll post ASAP), we'll have to wait for the official announcement from the Gator Bowl, which is scheduled to announce at 9 p.m. on ESPN.

Until then, remember to follow SB Nation's StoryStream regarding 2011 bowl projections for the most up-to-date information.