Then on Sunday, they watched with the rest of the country while they waited for their 2025-26 bowl game destination and opponent to be revealed.

Heading into the weekend, almost all bowl experts had Minnesota landing in Phoenix, AZ, the post-Christmas Rate Bowl. So much so that by the time today’s final announcement was finally made Sunday afternoon, anybody paying attention got exactly what they expected.

Minnesota Gophers heading to the Rate Bowl, as expected

On December 26, the Minnesota Gophers will face the New Mexico Lobos down in the desert, looking for PJ Fleck’s second career Rate Bowl victory, and seventh-straight bowl victory as Golden Gopher football coach. Since being hired back in 2017, Fleck is 6-0 in bowl games.

HISTORY WILL BE MADE when @UNMLoboFB and @GopherFootball meet for the first-time ever in the 2025 Rate Bowl on Friday, Dec. 26!

Get your tickets now via @seatgeek to be a part of the action, kicking off at 2:30 pm AZ time in @downtownphoenix.

🎟️ https://t.co/Fyh4gXbYfn pic.twitter.com/QnfIRhT9vO

— Rate Bowl (@RateBowl) December 7, 2025

Essentially, the bowl game formula got pretty easy to predict, after it became clear that Michigan, Penn State, Iowa, and Nebraska were all being selected for the higher-tier Big Ten bowl destinations.

That left the those at the Rate Bowl to choose between Minnesota, Northwestern and Illinois. These days, bowl games are popularity contests… and college football in Illinois is not the type of fan draw those in Phoenix are looking for.

Gopher Football Rate Bowl history

The Rate Bowl has been in existence since 1989, only missing one year (2020 – COVID) since the first game was played in Tucson between Arizona and North Carolina State 36 years ago. Since, it has gone through quite a few name changes.

• 2024-25: Rate Bowl
• 2021-23: Guaranteed Rate Bowl
• 2018-19: Cheez-It Bowl
• 2015-17: Cactus Bowl
• 2014: Ticket City Cactus Bowl
• 2012-13: Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl
• 1997-2011: Insight Bowl
• 1989-1996: Copper Bowl

Since its debut, the Minnesota Gophers have played in a version of the Rate Bowl a total of four times, prior to this year. Three of those appearances came in four years, from 2006-2009.

Glen Mason was fired after losing in a heartbreaker vs Texas Tech, before his predecessor Tim Brewster lost two straight in ’08 and ’09. Prior to Fleck’s victory over West Virginia in 2021, Minnesota was 0-3 down in Arizona.

• 2025: Minnesota vs New Mexico
• 2021: Minnesota 18, West Virginia 6
• 2009: Minnesota 13, Iowa State 14
• 2008: Minnesota 21, Kansas 42
• 2006: Minnesota 41, Texas Tech 44

Fleck, MN Gophers cannot overlook Lobos

We know PJ Fleck won’t let the Golden Gophers overlook any bowl opponent. His undefeated record in the postseason since being hired tells that story well enough. But the New Mexico Lobos are a different type of opponent.

Only once since Fleck was hired have his Gophers played a bowl game against a group of five school. That came in 2023, when the Gophers defeated Bowling Green in the Quick Lane Bowl. But that Falcons team was 7-5 entering their loss to Minnesota.

The 2025 Lobos come into their Rate Bowl matchup vs Minnesota toting a 9-3 record behind an offense averaging 370 yards per game on offense, 155 of which came on the ground, where the Gophers have struggled defensively all season.

𝗢𝗡 𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗙𝗘𝗘𝗧, 𝗔𝗟𝗕𝗨𝗤𝗨𝗘𝗥𝗤𝗨𝗘‼️ pic.twitter.com/md5rFQlJv1

— New Mexico Football (@UNMLoboFB) November 29, 2025

Related: Gophers Take Axe Lead in Snow

There isn’t one running back god keeping the New Mexico run game pumping week to week, either. In fact, the Lobos have four running backs who received 75 or more carries this season, but none of them got more than 109 handoffs.

Fleck and his staff — which just dismissed a defensive line coach days ago — now have 2.5 weeks to figure out how they are going to slow the New Mexico Lobos rushing attack, additional time that has paid dividends for the Minnesota Gophers throughout PJ’s tenure.

If you’ve felt bad for Richard Pitino after being dismissed by the University of Minnesota on Monday, wipe those tears. Just twelve or so hours after AD Mark Coyle “parted ways” with the 39-year-old head coach, Pitino found a soft landing at the University of New Mexico. Look out your window, Minnesotans. Did you know it’s going to be 70 degrees this weekend on Richard’s new Albuquerque campus?

BREAKING: New Mexico has hired former Minnesota coach Richard Pitino, sources told @Stadium.

Pitino was officially unemployed for about 12 hours or so.

— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) March 16, 2021

This hire isn’t a surprise to anyone who’s been paying attention. With Rick Pitino and Billy Donovan both in his corner and in the ears of important people at New Mexico, the writing has been on the Lobos’ wall since Saturday.

The U of M athletic department has stepped on eggshells throughout this process. Still, it’s the worst kept secret in town. That phony discretion is because of Pitino’s $1.75 million buyout, which the U of M doesn’t want to foot. Now that Richard has found a “soft landing” in New Mexico, they’re expected to foot part of that buyout bill.

Why the U of M cares so much about a $1.75 million buyout when one IU booster just wrote a personal check to pay all of Archie Miller’s $10 million buyout in Bloomington, is a topic that needs its own blog. But yes, this process has been an embarrassment.

When we find out details on who will cover what part of Richard’s buyout (if we ever find out), it’ll be added to this blog.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan