Expert consensus projects Minnesota to play in Mayo Bowl, but against who?

Where will Minnesota go bowling this winter?

Dec 27, 2023; Charlotte, NC, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers head coach Neal Brown gets covered in mayonnaise after the game at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

The long wait is nearly over! Bowl game selections will officially be announced tomorrow afternoon. After a 7-5 regular season, Minnesota's most common projection is the Duke's Mayo Bowl on Jan. 3 in Charlotte, N.C.

For those who don't know, every bowl game has a tie-in with conferences. The top Big Ten teams who don't qualify for the 12-team College Football Playoff typically go to the ReliaQuest, Citrus, Music City, Mayo, Pinstripe or Rate Bowl. The former Pac-12 schools are still going to play in bowls with tie-ins to that conference, which leaves six Big Ten schools for six bowls.

NOTE: CBS, 247Sports, The Athletic and Action Network all project the #Gophers to play in the Duke's Mayo Bowl, but against NC State, Virginia Tech or Duke??

An official announcement will be made tomorrow after the CFP bracket selection. https://t.co/6XDYsMMcPI pic.twitter.com/155GduxL3D

— Tony Liebert (@TonyLiebert) December 7, 2024

Illinois, Michigan, and Iowa are expected to fill in for the ReliaQuest, Cirtus, and Music City Bowls in some combination. That leaves Rutgers, Nebraska, and Minnesota for the Mayo, Pinstripe, and Rate Bowls. CBSSports, The Athletic, Action Network, and 247Sports all project the Gophers to play in the Mayo Bowl, while ESPN projects them to play in the Pinstripe Bowl.

The decision will ultimately come down to the bowl games themselves, but conference standing and overall record tend to play a large factor in separating teams. The Mayo Bowl is viewed as a better game compared to the Pinstripe and Rate Bowl, and Minnesota is higher in conference standings than both Rutgers and Nebraska.

The only thing that could cause Rutgers or Nebraska to be chosen over the Gophers, is the fact that Rutgers has the same 7-5 overall record and a head-to-head win over Minnesota and Nebraska is in its first bowl game since 2016 and a bowl game could view their large fanbase as an incentive to have them in their game.

Ultimately, if the Gophers play in the Mayo or Pinstripe Bowl, they will face a team from the ACC. Action Network's Brett McMurphy thinks they'll go against Virginia Tech, 247Sports Brad Crawford projects a matchup with NC State and The Athletic and CBSSports both think it will be Minnesota-Duke. ESPN projects the Pinstripe Bowl to be Minnesota-Georgia Tech.

The Gophers will play in a bowl game for the fourth consecutive season and sixth time overall in P.J. Fleck's eight seasons as the program's head coach. The official bowl game placements will be announced at some point tomorrow afternoon following the announcement of the 12-team College Football Playoff field.