Selection Sunday: Gophers likely head to Rate Bowl
It is Selection Sunday in college football, and the Minnesota Golden Gophers will officially learn their bowl destination for the 2025 season on Sunday afternoon. As reported on the Inside Gophers Nation message board on Friday, the most likely bowl destination for the Gophers is the Rate Bowl in Phoenix, Arizona.
On3 College Football Insider and bowl expert Brett McMurphy also projects the Gophers to Phoenix for the Rate Bowl on December 26, with a likely matchup against the Iowa State Cyclones.
This will be the fifth time the Gophers have played in the Phoenix-based bowl game, which has gone by numerous names over the years, including the Copper Bowl, Insight.com Bowl, Insight Bowl, Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl, Cactus Bowl, Cheez-It Bowl, Guaranteed Rate Bowl, and now the Rate Bowl.
Their most recent appearance in Phoenix came after the 2021 season, an 18–6 win over West Virginia in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl. They also played there in 2006 (a 44–41 loss to Texas Tech), 2008 (a 42–21 loss to Kansas), and 2009 (a 14–13 loss to Iowa State).
Gophers have already had an active bowl season
The Gophers only began bowl practices on Thursday, but it has already been an active first week of December. Nearly double-digit players have entered the transfer portal or announced their intentions to transfer, and head coach P.J. Fleck also parted ways with defensive line coach Dennis Dottin-Carter.
While Fleck hasn’t officially announced who will lead the defensive line room for the bowl game, it is expected that RUSH ends coach C.J. Robbins will handle those responsibilities.
More coaching changes could come for Minnesota in the coming days and weeks. The next stretch presents an opportune window for Fleck to make staff moves despite bowl preparation. The 2026 recruiting class is locked in after signing on Wednesday, and the transfer portal for FBS players does not open until January 2.
Key to watch in the meantime is whether Fleck makes any hires for positions that open before the transfer portal window begins. The portal will run from January 2 through January 16.
