Virginia Tech Football: Hokies Open As Underdogs In Bowl Matchup vs Minnesota

On Sunday, it was announced that Virginia Tech was selected to play in the Duke's Mayo Bowl in Charlotte, North Carolina against Minnesota. It is one of the last bowl games on the calendar, as it takes place on January 3rd. The team that plays Minnesota on that day is not going to be the same Virginia Tech team we have seen throughout the season. The Hokies have had a lot of players enter the transfer portal since it officially opened on Monday and that is a big reason why they are opening as underdogs against the Golden Gophers in the bowl game.

According to Fanduel Sportsbook, Virginia Tech is opening as a 4.5 point underdog vs Minnesota and the total is set at 42.5. Keep an eye on this number because there is still a lot of time between now and when the transfer portal officially closes on Dec. 28th and there could be more portal entries on the way.

The game will kickoff on January 3rd at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. This will mark Virginia Tech’s third time playing in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. The Hokies hold a 1-1 record in the bowl game that was formerly known as the Belk Bowl. Most recently, Virginia Tech lost to Kentucky 37-30 in 2019. The Hokies’ only win in this bowl game was in 2016 when the No. 18 Hokies took down Arkansas 35-24.

The Hokies have now made consecutive bowl games for the first time since the 2019 and 2018 seasons. As it stands, Brent Pry is undefeated in bowl games with a 41-20 win against No. 23 Tulane in the Military Bowl last year.

On the other side, this is Minnesota’s fourth consecutive bowl game. The Gophers are 7-0 in their last seven bowl games and P.J. Fleck’s bowl game record as a head coach is 5-0.

This year, Minnesota holds a better record than Virginia Tech. The Gophers went 7-5 this year with a 5-4 record against the Big Ten. Fleck’s squad picked up some signature wins against No. 11 USC, No. 24 Illinois, and Wisconsin.

Virginia Tech just barely clinched bowl eligibility as the Hokies had four opportunities to get their sixth win on the season down the stretch. The Hokies played Syracuse, No. 23 Clemson, Duke, and Virginia. Syracuse and Duke narrowly beat the Hokies, and Clemson had their way, but the Hokies’ dominance in their in-state rivalry led them to another bowl game.