2024 Bowl Projections Tracker

Charlotte would be my preference of these two - would love to somehow make Florida.
Last time gophers were in Arizona the rumor was Coyle asked for it.
I would be willing to bet that if someone said it’s going to be Charlotte or New York, Coyle said we would rather it be Arizona if it isn’t Charlotte
 

It also makes sense that if we fell in the overall Big Ten pecking order for Bowls, we would say that we were just in the Pinstripe Bowl. (Two years ago). So if we do have to fall, send us to Phoenix, where it is at least warm. And we have a pretty strong alumni base down there, we had fans that attended that Bowl pretty well back in 2021.

That being said, I strongly prefer Charlotte. Selfish. I can go there on January 3rd. Cannot make either Pinstripe or the one in Phoenix, the Rate or whatever it is called now.......
 

I always get nervous when we are in these "pools" of teams for Bowl games. 50 years following the Gopher program - it very often seems like we get passed over by the better Bowls. Year after year. Perceptual evidence only, but I am thinking of the Alamo Bowl, the Outback Bowl, the Vegas Bowl, and especially teh Music City Bowl. Different years, but all "passing" on the Gophers.

I guess we should win more football games so it is harder for Bowls to pass us over.....
 
Last edited:

I always get nervous when we are in these "pools" of teams for Bowl games. 50 years following hte Gopher program - it very often seems like we get passed over by the better Bowls. Year after year. Perceptual evidence only, but I am thinking of the Alamo Bowl, the Outback Bowl, the Vegas Bowl, and especially teh Music City Bowl. Different years, but all "passing" on the Gophers.

I guess we shoudlwein more football games so it is harder for Bowls to pass us over.....
In the pool of bowls pinstripe is “equal” to Nashville
 



I guess we should win more football games so it is harder for Bowls to pass us over.....
Do you mean like getting to 8 wins? And the last two times we reached 8 wins we became the first ever B1G team with 8 wins to play in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl AND the first B1G team with 8 wins to ever play in the Pinstripe Bowl.
 

Was just in San Antonio and Nashville for work trips. I had never been to either place prior. Nashville > San Antonio. Thanks to the Alamo Bowl I will never go to San Antonio on my dime.
 

Do you mean like getting to 8 wins? And the last two times we reached 8 wins we became the first ever B1G team with 8 wins to play in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl AND the first B1G team with 8 wins to ever play in the Pinstripe Bowl.

I kind of agree with you but IMO those two years and this year the non-con is weak and in the end they never really beat anyone so hard for me to get worked up… Wisconsin the one year.. Illinois best win this year?

IMO that’s why the bowl streak makes me chuckle a bit great to have don’t get me wrong… but we usually play lame opponents and when the GPA bowl from last year is part of the streak.. yippee
 




We played the Holiday Bowl and the Citrus bowls too, we don’t always get passed over people just remember the results they don’t like
I always get nervous when we are in these "pools" of teams for Bowl games. 50 years following the Gopher program - it very often seems like we get passed over by the better Bowls. Year after year. Perceptual evidence only, but I am thinking of the Alamo Bowl, the Outback Bowl, the Vegas Bowl, and especially teh Music City Bowl. Different years, but all "passing" on the Gophers.

I guess we should win more football games so it is harder for Bowls to pass us over....
 

on getting "passed over" - the Bowl Committees have a say in this process. for a long time, there was a perception that the Gopher fans "didn't travel." in recent years, the Gopher fan base has certainly shown up in greater numbers for destination games.

but - if the Bowl Committee for Bowl Game X decides - for whatever reason - that they don't want MN, the B1G is not going to force any Bowl to take a team that the Committee doesn't want.

and - like it or not - MN is not a helmet school. unless the Bowl Committee members are in their late 60's or early 70's, they don't remember a time when MN was a national power or won a Conference title.

if the bowl selection process was a card game, MN is not exactly holding a stacked hand.
 

e
LOL.

The King of Bad Takes.
It’s not a take. It’s in the conferences own description of the tiers

Citrus/reliaquest (6.5+ payouts)
Mayo/Music/pinstripe (4.5-5.5 payouts)
Rate/Gameabove (sub 2.5 payouts)

(these are 2023 numbers…haven’t seen 2025 numbers)

Have you seen different tiers listed? I may be wrong
 
Last edited:





on getting "passed over" - the Bowl Committees have a say in this process. for a long time, there was a perception that the Gopher fans "didn't travel." in recent years, the Gopher fan base has certainly shown up in greater numbers for destination games.

but - if the Bowl Committee for Bowl Game X decides - for whatever reason - that they don't want MN, the B1G is not going to force any Bowl to take a team that the Committee doesn't want.

and - like it or not - MN is not a helmet school. unless the Bowl Committee members are in their late 60's or early 70's, they don't remember a time when MN was a national power or won a Conference title.

if the bowl selection process was a card game, MN is not exactly holding a stacked hand.
I'll pretty much agree. I'm 67 and have vague memories of the 67 season where I think that were in a three way tie for the conference championship. Was Curt Wilson the QB that year? I met him in Vegas a few years ago, but don't remember him playing. I have no memories of the national power days, wish I did.
 

with all due respect, I am 99% sure that the fans of every other team in the B1G are having variations on this same argument: "we're getting screwed. we should have been in a better bowl."
I’m sure.

The Big Ten just has a lot of awful bowls.
They haven’t seemed to really put much effort into improving bowl tie-ins in over a decade now. The locations are mostly awful and/or stale to the fans. And having a tie-in with Detroit makes no sense when Michigan and Michigan State even fight like hell to avoid playing there. 🤣

It would make more sense for the Big Ten to “own” about 4-6 bowl games that cities bid to host in partnership with a local organizing committee. Give them a 5-year contract to host. That’s about the shelf life for a tie-in, and most minor bowl games anyway.
 

Some Louisville reporters seem to think it’s Louisville vs Nebraska in pinstripe bowl

Which would take New York off the board as well as take Louisville off the board as a mayo opponent
 


Is Duke’s Mayo a good lubricant? Asking for a friend.
Tell your friend that PeoplesFront says it’s much better than Hellman’s. I often go for the garlic habanero variety to add a little spice. Leaves a little tingle on the hands.
 

Tell your friend that PeoplesFront says it’s much better than Hellman’s. I often go for the garlic habanero variety to add a little spice. Leaves a little tingle on the hands.
Sometimes Grey Poupon can get in the mix as well.
 


Some Louisville reporters seem to think it’s Louisville vs Nebraska in pinstripe bowl

Which would take New York off the board as well as take Louisville off the board as a mayo opponent
A bit surprising, I figured the committee would want Nebraska to play Oklahoma in a bowl since they're both 6-6. Good chance for a big crowd.
 

A bit surprising, I figured the committee would want Nebraska to play Oklahoma in a bowl since they're both 6-6. Good chance for a big crowd.
What committee?

The only bowls where the conference tie ins work is Nashville or Tampa (or Orlando) for that matchup
 


Wouldn't surprise me if we got jumped by Nebraska in the pecking order.

I'd almost rather play in Detroit than the baseball stadium bowls with garbage fields
Having gone to the Detroit bowl, I would prefer it to Arizona
I might end up in New York anyways so I never mind that one
 

Just not Detroit or NY.

Anything else is acceptable for a 7 win team.
 

Just not Detroit or NY.

Anything else is acceptable for a 7 win team.
Detroit won’t happen because the big ten literally can’t fill it out

NY is higher in the pecking order than Arizona. And is in same tier as Nashville and Charlotte
 

Wouldn't surprise me if we got jumped by Nebraska in the pecking order.

I'd almost rather play in Detroit than the baseball stadium bowls with garbage fields
Wasn't the field condition a big issue last time we were in the Pinstripe? May have several more players drop out of the game (Joyner, Jackson, etc.) from injury concerns.
 


Wasn't the field condition a big issue last time we were in the Pinstripe? May have several more players drop out of the game (Joyner, Jackson, etc.) from injury concerns.
The field was terrible in Phoenix also if I recall

Both were bad.....but Phoenix was particularly terrible. Not only because they laid the grass for it about a week prior to the game.....but they then decided to leave the roof open prior to the game while it rained (stupid).....so they could have parachuters during the anthem or something (dumb). The rain itself isn't an issue.....as football games are played in the rain often......but seeing as how the grass wasn't settled, the rain made the field conditions very poor and dangerous.
 




Top Bottom