Bowl Invitation Likely For Gophers, But Will They Accept?

The Minnesota Gophers walked into Camp Randall Stadium in Madison Wisconsin on Saturday as +12.5 point underdogs. After flushing a multitude of opportunities down the toilet in regulation, they finally lost grip in overtime and hung another “L” vs the Badgers.

It made for their 16th loss in the last 17 tries vs their border rival, by far the most one-sided stretch during the 130-year rivalry.

2020 bowl games are in flux?

There’s no such thing as “bowl eligible” in 2020 so a bowl invitation is certainly still plausible, especially with all of the uncertainty surrounding other teams around the nation.

The Minnesota Gophers are now 3-4 on the season and a bowl game seemed unlikely as recent as Saturday night. But it’s a weird year and, for now, most major media outlets have the Gophers going to a bowl game of one name or another (see below).

A few teams have preemptively opted out of the bowl season and more are expected to follow suit. That’s why the Gophers are projected to get an invitation, at the very least. But would PJ Fleck and Co accept?

Fleck talks bowl game invitations

PJ was asked that exact question after the loss to Wisconsin on Saturday and his answer was quite insightful. This isn’t a normal bowl year and he let us in on some of the decisions he, Mark Coyle, his team and other college programs are wrestling with.

Sounds like the #Gophers are much more likely to accept a bowl invitation if it’s hosted by a state that still allows freedom. 1/2 pic.twitter.com/Lvq4gF70c7

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) December 20, 2020

2/2 pic.twitter.com/kWqESdza2w

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) December 20, 2020

I’ve seen other media outlets around Minnesota interpret PJ Fleck’s words in a different way than how I did. The Gophers want to play in a bowl game, according to PJ himself, but they also want to enjoy the experience of going.

If each player has to lock themselves in separate hotel rooms for two weeks, away from friends and family during the holidays, they’re probably not interested. If the invite comes from a bowl game hosted in a state that isn’t on COVID lockdown, it sounds like they’d be all in.

You know, somewhere pools/beaches, family, team dinners and freedom would be on the itinerary…

Possible Bowls Invitations

Selection Sunday is today so we will soon find out what possibilities could present themselves to the Minnesota Gophers. A surprise offering could be made during this weird year so bowl + conference affiliation may not play out as scheduled, especially if the entire PAC-12 opts out, which is a possibility.

Guaranteed Rate Bowl Projections

Chase Field – Phoenix, AZ | Dec. 26 – 9:15 PM (ESPN)

Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl Projections

Independence Stadium – Shreveport, LA | Dec. 26 – 6PM (ESPN)

Duke’s Mayo Bowl

Bank of America Stadium – Charlotte, NC | Dec. 30 – 11AM (ESPN)

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan