But on Sunday, we found out what bowl they will play in and who their opponent will be. First, the College Football Playoff Committee named (1) Michigan, (2) Washington, (3) Texas and (4) Alabama as the four playoff teams, leaving an undefeated Florida State team out of the running for NCAA National Champion.

Related: How Much NIL Can Gophers Pay vs What Transfer QBs Actually Cost?

Quick Lane Bowl: Minnesota Gophers vs Bowling Green Falcons

The Match Up is set!

2023 Quick Lane Bowl@BG_Football vs @GopherFootball
📅December 26, 2023
🕙2:00 P.M. EST
📍Detroit, MI pic.twitter.com/IFIK6dR3Wc

— Quick Lane Bowl (@quicklanebowl) December 3, 2023

Throughout the rest of the day, the entire slate of bowl matchups has been revealed. And just moments ago, we finally found out where and who the 5-7 Golden Gophers will play. Detroit, MI – Quick Lane Bowl vs (7-5) Bowling Green.

PJ Fleck is undefeated in bowl games (4-0), as Minnesota Gophers head coach and he’s 5-2 overall as a college football head coach (1-2 at Western Michigan).

• 2018 (7-6): Quick Lane Bowl vs Georgia Tech | (W) 34-10
• 2019 (11-2): Outback Bowl vs Auburn Tigers | (W) 31-24
• 2021 (9-4): Guaranteed Rate Bowl vs West Virginia | (W) 18-6
• 2022 (9-4): Pinstripe Bowl vs Syracuse | (W) 28-20
• 2023 (5-7): Quick Lane Bowl vs Bowling Green

Non-eligible Gophers bowling thanks to high APR

How? A very high APR (Academic Progress Rate), which measures academic success for student athletes, proving it pays off to excel in the classroom as a football program, something Fleck has always taken very seriously.

Related: How Much NIL Can Gophers Pay vs What Transfer QBs Actually Cost?

If all 6-win teams across FBS nation do not fill all of the spots during bowl season, the NCAA turns to APR to decide what 5-win teams they turn to next. Of all the 5-7 teams in the country, the Minnesota Gophers (.992 – 8th in CFB) have the highest APR.

Minnesota Gophers Bowl Projections 2023

So, where will they play and who will their opponent will be? Many of the most reliable projections changed course on their Minnesota bowl pick, after Alabama beat Georgia in Saturday’s SEC Championship game.

The bowl landscape’s latest shuffle now has the Gophers’ most likely destination, in pretty overwhelming fashion, as Phoenix, AZ for the Guaranteed Rate Bowl. The Quick Lane Bowl (Detroit, MI) had been the favorite, entering Saturday. It’s still possible, but much less likely.

Related: Phenom Freshman Darius Taylor Announces He’s Staying in Minnesota

Opponent projections line Minnesota up against a variety of teams, some power 5, some not. The Gophers’ most likely foe, according to the projections below, is the Kansas Jayhawks. Bleacher Report went outside the box and even has the Gophers in Nashville for the Music City Bowl vs Auburn.

Related: Minnesota Gophers Football Transfer Portal Tracker 2023

Read all of our Gopher football blogs

Auburn-Minnesota will play in Outback Bowl, sources told @Stadium

— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) December 8, 2019

Florida, here we come.

See you New Year's Day, #Gophers. pic.twitter.com/9uPXxqn4YR

— Minnesota Football (@GopherFootball) December 8, 2019

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It’s official. The Gophers will play in their 2nd New Year’s Day Bowl since they last won the Rose Bowl in 1961. They won’t get the Citrus Bowl vs Alabama but they will get their Rivals, the Auburn Tigers, in the Outback Bowl. This will be a bowl of first for the Gophers, who have never played in the Outback Bowl, nor have they ever played against the Auburn Tigers.

Celebrate Minnesota! It’s a historic day… and it’s only the beginning of even brighter days to come.

For more information, tickets, and events surrounding the Gophers’ trip to Tampa Bay, CLICK HERE.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

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