MN Gophers Rate Bowl victory sets records for viewership

While some bowl games certainly draw better than others, there were multiple non-playoff bowls played this college postseason that set viewership records. Among them was the Minnesota Gophers’ thrilling 20-17 overtime victory vs New Mexico.

Minnesota and New Mexico drew 4.4 million viewers, the best for the bowl game since 2011 and the fourth highest of any Non-CFP bowl game this postseason. pic.twitter.com/GopLgOaYBh

— Gophers Nation (@MinnesotaOn3) January 2, 2026

The 4.4 million viewers were the most for a Rate Bowl since 2011, when it was the Insight Bowl. In fact, this bowl game has been through FIVE name changes since it last got as much attention as Gopher fans helped give it in 2025.

This year’s Rate Bowl did better than the LA Bowl (3.8 million), which featured Boise State vs Washington, and came in just short of the 6.0 million viewers during the TaxSlayer Bowl (Virginia/Missouri). Had Minnesota played a power five school, they would have been very close to that number.

Bowl season highlights include Gophers, Pop Tarts and NO Irish

P.J. Fleck took his Minnesota Gophers to Phoenix, Arizona for the Rate Bowl, which was played at Chase Field, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks, and walked out with his undefeated bowl game record as Gopher head coach still intact at 7-0.

Drake Lindsey threw for 147 yards and two touchdowns while Darius Taylor ran wild, tallying 116 yards on the ground, plus a touchdown of his own. Minnesota took their Rate Bowl win with a miracle Lindsey touchdown pass to freshman Jalen Smith that called game in overtime.

JALEN SMITH WITH THE DIVING CATCH TO WIN IT FOR MINNESOTA pic.twitter.com/yuu7XNWHf3

— Mr Matthew CFB (@MrMatthew_CFB) December 27, 2025

Another Bowl Game that did crazy numbers this year was Georgia Tech vs BYU, in the extremely well-marketed Pop-Tart Bowl.

That game — which would have featured Notre Dame had they not opted in protest of their CFP snub — drew a whopping 8.7 million viewers. That’s double the average viewership of the Irish’s games this season.

In 2026 the MN Gophers football team will look to take a step forward, closer to CFP contention. These days, all that takes a 10-win season and top-20 national ranking.

Neither of those goals are unreachable for a program like Minnesota, as Fleck & Co. proved in 2019 when the Golden Gophers went 11-2 and finished as the No. 10 ranked team in the country.