Most likely bowl game outcomes for Minnesota entering the final regular-season week

After last week's loss to Northwestern, the Gophers are 6-5 entering the final week of the regular season. They've been bowl-eligible since November 1, and there are now 10 other Big Ten teams that will be playing postseason football, with at least one more joining the party. Let's break down the most likely scenarios for Minnesota before its rivalry game against Wisconsin.

For those who don't know, each bowl game has a conference tie-in. Due to the abruptness of the most recent conference realignment, the West Coast teams in the Big Ten are still looked at as Pac-12 teams when it comes to choosing bowl game matchups through the 2025 season. That leaves seven possible bowl games for non-College Football Playoff Big Ten teams, who were in the conference before 2024.

Big Ten standings

Big Ten standings after Week 14 | Picture via: ESPN

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The easiest thing to look at when placing teams in bowl games is conference standing. The teams Minnesota will likely be viewed against are Nebraska, Northwestern, and the winner of Penn State and Rutgers.

Citrus/ReliaQuest/Music City

Minnesota's loss to Northwestern likely took itself out of the running for the Citrus, ReliaQuest and Music City bowls. Indiana, Ohio State and Oregon look like they're on their way to the College Football Playoff, and it's hard to imagine that the Gophers would get the nod over Michigan, Iowa or Illinois, in terms of bowl game placement. Barring another Wolverines upset of the Buckeyes, I think those three teams are pretty locked into those three games.

Rate/Pinstripe Bowl

If Minnesota takes care of business against Wisconsin, I still think its most likely destination would be the Rate Bowl or Pinstripe Bowl. The Gophers would be stacked up against Northwestern, Nebraska and Rutgers or Penn State for the Rate, Pinstripe or Las Vegas Bowl.

The Penn State-Rutgers game is interesting because both teams have a strong Northeast fanbase, which could make them more attractive for a game played at Yankee Stadium. Penn State has one of the biggest fan bases in the sport, so they're going to be an attractive invite for any bowl game, but I wouldn't be entirely shocked if Rutgers got the nod over Minnesota, despite the Gophers' head-to-head win.

GameAbove Sports Bowl

If the Gophers lose to Wisconsin, I don't really see a scenario where they avoid the notorious GameAbove Sports Bowl in Detroit, Michigan, formerly called the Quick Lane Bowl. With four losses in their final five games, Rutgers might be the only other bowl-eligible team less appealing as an invite, and I already mentioned how their location could benefit them.

Las Vegas Bowl

The wildcard scenario is the Las Vegas Bowl. Nebraska's fanbase makes them one of the most appealing teams in the country for bowl game invites, and this just seems like a game they'd get invited to. The Cornhuskers are another team that wouldn't shock me if they got the nod over Minnesota, despite the Gophers winning the head-to-head matchup.

Predicting bowl game invites is not an exact science. Ultimately, if the Gophers beat Wisconsin, I expect them to get invited to the Rate or Pinstripe Bowl, and with a loss, I think it could be a December in Detroit.