Minnesota Gophers 2014 Bowl Projection
By Nick Fritz
While we’re left thinking what could have been after the Wisconsin loss, the Gophers are still in a nice bowl position. Last year, they ended with the same overall record but fluttered to the finish. They were “awarded” the Texas Bowl and then upset by Syracuse.
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This time around things look and feel different for the Maroon and Gold. Not only do they end up with a better conference record (5-3), but they’re also in the top-25. The last few games have shown they can hang with top teams on the road or at home. After getting shafted into the Texas Bowl last year, I think Gophers fans are in for a pleasant surprise this time around.
The new tier system is confusing, but I believe the Gophers will end up in the Citrus bowl or the Holiday bowl.
The Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl is played in Orlando, Florida on January 1st. This would ordinarily be a landing spot for Wisconsin, but they lost to South Carolina in the Capital One bowl last time around, which was played in Orlando. I don’t see the committee sending them back to the same city. A citrus bowl appearance would be a huge deal for Minnesota and would involve a nice SEC team like Missouri.
The National University Holiday Bowl would also be fun. It takes place in San Diego, California on December 27th. Their opponent would probably be Arizona State or USC. This would be a bummer for some as the team wouldn’t be able to spent Christmas with their families. But, I am sure they’d survive in San Diego.
Those are my guesses, now we wait until December 7th to find out where the Gophers will wind up. Wherever they do, it’s important to look at the big picture. The NCAA post season is about so much more than just bowl games. The Gophers are looking at another whole month of practicing, building chemistry and coming together under coach Jerry Kill.
Nov 29, 2014; Madison, WI, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers quarterback Mitch Leidner (7) hands the football off to running back David Cobb (27) during the first quarter against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports