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.

It took an incredible overtime touchdown catch from freshman wide receiver Jalen Smith to get the job done, but today’s win — PJ Fleck’s seventh-straight (7-0) in the postseason as Minnesota head coach — had little to do with offense.

GOPHERS RATE BOWL WALK-OFF

freshman 🤜🤛 freshman

📺: @espn pic.twitter.com/R7RKh5VlUD

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) December 27, 2025

Outside of Darius Taylor’s 116 yards on 24 carries, the Golden Gophers offense was mostly anemic. They did take care of the football, however (0 INT, 0 TD). And with how suffocating Minnesota’s defense was against New Mexico, that’s all that was needed.

Dominant MN Gophers defense powered by Anthony Smith

The Gophers held the Lobos to just 204 yards total, including overtime. Just 88 of those yards came through the air. New Mexico’s biggest issue offensively?

It was defensive lineman Anthony Smith, who entered the Rate Bowl as a 2026 top 100 draft prospect with 10.5 sacks already in tow. Every other time either of New Mexico’s two QBs dropped back to pass, No. 0 was breathing down their neck.

Minnesota’s Anthony Smith is making his presence felt in the Rate Bowl with multiple pressures already. Huge third down sack here.

Smith, a potential top 100 pick, came into today top 10 in the country in sacks pic.twitter.com/hWzSAOznVG

— Bobby Football (@Rob__Paul) December 26, 2025

It wasn’t just Smith’s TWO sacks that impressed everyone watching the MN Gophers squeak one out in OT vs the Lobos, including numerous NFL scouts either in attendance or on TV.

When the dust settled in Phoenix, the former 4-star recruit out of Shippensburg, Pennsylvania took home the game’s defensive MVP award with SIX tackles — FOUR tackles for loss… and TWO passes defended, just for fun.

Smith announces 2026 return to Dinkytown

But then, before reporters could ask Minnesota’s redshirt Junior out of Shippensburg, Pennsylvania what his plans for the future look like, he took the postgame microphone and announced them to everyone at Chase Field.

That’s right, the Golden Gophers’ top defensive lineman is returning for his redshirt senior season.

ANT IS OFFICIALLY COMING BACK NEXT SEASON 🚨 @AgentAnt0 #RTB #SkiUMah #Gophers pic.twitter.com/yIWMsWkvso

— Minnesota Football (@GopherFootball) December 27, 2025

While the rest of the coaching carousel spins across the country, it’s become clear that PJ Fleck is going nowhere. In 2026, he will hit the 10-year mark as Minnesota Gophers head coach. And his star defensive lineman, Anthony Smith, will be there alongside him yet again.

Depending how the offseason goes, it is lining up to be far and away the most talented. Of course, a lot of that will depend on the development of Drake Lindsey, who committed to his Dinkytown return weeks ago.

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

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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.