Post-Spring Projection Has Gophers Facing Blue Blood in Familiar Bowl

It's never too early to look at some bowl game projections.

Nov 29, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers defensive back Kerry Brown (14) celebrates during the first half against the Wisconsin Badgers at Huntington Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Spring practices are done for every team in the country, so On3's Brett McMurphy opted to release some post-spring bowl projections on Wednesday. The Gophers were left out of his way-too-early projections in February, but they've since returned, so let's take a look at where they could go bowling this winter.

Bowl season will look a little bit different in 2026-27 with the addition of the Poinsettia Bowl and Puerto Rico Bowl, replacing the notorious Detroit bowl game, LA Bowl and Bahamas Bowl. There will be 82 teams for 41 games.

McMurphy has four Big Ten teams making the College Football Playoff with Penn State, Indiana, Oregon and Ohio State. He has 10 more making a bowl game with Maryland, Wisconsin, UCLA, Nebraska, Illinois, USC, Michigan, Iowa, Minnesota and Washington.

Pinstripe Bowl vs. Florida State

The Gophers are projected to play at Yankee Stadium in December against Florida State, according to McMurphy. They've played in the Pinstripe Bowl once since the event began in 2010, which came in 2022 against Syracuse.

Dec 29, 2022; Bronx, NY, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers head coach P. J. Fleck looks on during the trophy presentation after the 2022 Pinstripe Bowl against the Syracuse Orange at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The Seminoles are entering a make-or-break season under head coach Mike Norvell. If they were invited to this game, there's a good chance Norvell isn't even the head coach by that point. Minnesota has never played Florida State, so it would be a fun matchup against a historic program.

Why it matters

Projecting bowl games in May is virtually pointless in the grand scheme of things, but it does give us a good outlook on how the media portrays the Gophers heading into the summer. P.J. Fleck has emphasized bowl game success since arriving at Minnesota in 2017, and it has yielded a 7-0 record with a bowl game win in five straight seasons.

A Pinstripe Bowl appearence probably means the Gophers would finish the regular season with a record of 6-6, 7-5 or 8-4. That has become the norm for Minnesota in four of the last five seasons. It matters how it happens, depending on results against Iowa and Wisconsin, but it's hard to imagine the fanbase would be jumping up and down for that type of season again.

The Music City Bowl is still one of the most fun options for Big Ten teams, and it's a game that Minnesota hasn't played in since 2005. They have one trip to the ReliaQuest Bowl, formerly the Outback Bowl, in 2019, and one trip to the Citrus Bowl in 2014 under Jerry Kill.

A Pinstripe Bowl appearence might meet expectations, but it's entirely fair to want more in Year 10 for a head coach, and the Music City, ReliaQuest or Citrus Bowl are realistic goals.