Minnesota football bowl projections following week 13
The Minnesota Golden Gophers suffered their third loss in their last four games on Saturday to the Northwestern Wildcats, falling 38-35 at Wrigley Field, dropping their record to 6-5 (4-3) on the season.
Luckily for the Gophers, while they’re trending in the wrong direction, they are already bowl eligible and have the opportunity to finish their regular season with a win this upcoming Saturday against Wisconsin.
Below, Gophers Nation takes a look at the latest bowl projections for Minnesota heading into week 14 of the college football season.
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On3 (McMurphy): GameAbove Sports Bowl (Dec. 26– Detroit, MI) – Central Michigan vs. Minnesota
After the Gophers’ latest, McMurphy drops Minnesota from the Pinstripe Bowl and a matchup against Louisville to the GameAbove Sports Bowl in Detroit. The Gophers and Chippewas have met twice all-time, once in 1987 and again in 2015 in the Quick Lane Bowl. Minnesota has won both prior contests. This would be the Gophers’ third trip to Detroit under P.J. Fleck with their last trip coming in 2023.
Athlon Sports (Steven Lassan): Music City Bowl (Dec. 30 – Nashville, TN) – LSU vs. Minnesota
Lassan continues to project the Gophers to head to Nashville for the Music City Bowl at the end of December with a matchup against the LSU Tigers. The Gophers and Tigers have never met. Minnesota has played in the Music City Bowl three times, all between 2002 and 2005. The Gophers lost that 2005 matchup to the Virginia Cavaliers 34-31.
CBS Sports: Pinestripe Bowl (Dec. 27 – Bronx, NY) – Wake Forest vs. Minnesota
CBS Sports projects Minnesota to the Pinstripe Bowl to take on the ACC’s Wake Forest Demon Deacons. This would be just the second matchup between the two programs, the last one coming all the way back in 1968. The Gophers won that contest in Minneapolis 24-19. The Gophers’ last trip to New York came in 2022, a 28-20 win over the Syracuse Orange.
ESPN (Kyle Bonagura): Pinestripe Bowl (Dec. 27 – Bronx, NY) – Pittsburgh vs. Minnesota
Bonagura once again projects a potential matchup against the Pittsburgh Panthers in the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl on December 27. Minnesota and Pittsburgh have met 12 times all-time, their last meeting coming over 30 years ago in 1992, a 14-13 home loss for the Gophers.
ESPN (Mark Schlabach): Rate Bowl (Dec. 26 – Phoenix, AZ) – Kansas State vs. Minnesota
The lone vote for the Rate Bowl this week comes from Mark Schlabach. The Gophers last played in Phoenix in 2021, an 18-6 win over the West Virginia Mountaineers. The Gophers have played Kansas State three times, their last meeting coming in 1994 as part of a home-and-home series; the Gophers notably lost both of those games to the Wildcats while picking up a win over Kansas State in 1960.
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