The 2019 Citrus Bowl was a college football bowl game that was played on January 1, 2019. It was the 73rd edition of what is now the Citrus Bowl, and was one of the 2018âÂÂ19 bowl games concluding the 2018 FBS football season. Sponsored by VRBO, a vacation rental marketplace owned by HomeAway, the game was officially known as the VRBO Citrus Bowl.
The game was played between the Penn State Nittany Lions of the Big Ten Conference and the Kentucky Wildcats of the Southeastern Conference. The teams had previously met five times, with Penn State holding a 3âÂÂ2 edge; their most recent meeting was the 1999 Outback Bowl, won by Penn State.
Penn State received and accepted a bid to the Citrus Bowl on December 2. The Nittany Lions entered the bowl with a 9âÂÂ3 record (6âÂÂ3 in conference).
Kentucky received and accepted a bid to the Citrus Bowl on December 2. The Wildcats entered the bowl with a 9âÂÂ3 record (5âÂÂ3 in conference).