2025 Bowl Projection Tracker

Donate To GopherHole
Updated after 11/8 games.
Current Standings (removing former Pac12 teams as they will likely go to Pac12 legacy bowls)
Indiana 10-0
Ohio State 9-0
Michigan 7-2
Nebraska 7-3
Iowa 6-3
Minnesota 6-3
Illinois 6-3
Northwestern 5-4 (Michigan, Minnesota, @Illinois)
Rutgers 5-5 (@Ohio State, Penn State)
Maryland 4-5 (@Illinois, Michigan, Michigan State)
Penn State 3-6 (@Michigan State, Nebraska, @Rutgers)
Michigan State 3-6 (Penn State, @iowa, Maryland)
Wisconsin 3-6 (@Indiana, Illinois, @Minnesota)
Purdue 2-8


Big Ten bowls
CFB Playoffs: Prediction: Ohio State and Indiana
Citrus (Orlando, FL): Iowa and Illinois ineligible Prediction: Michigan
Reliaquest (Tampa, FL): Michigan ineligible Prediction: Iowa
Las Vegas (Las Vegas, NV): Prediction: Illinois
Music City (Nashville, TN): Iowa ineligible Prediction: Minnesota
Pinstripe (New York, NY): Nebraska ineligible...Rutgers, Minnesota, Maryland have also been within last 8 years) Prediction: Northwestern
Rate Bowl (Phoenix, AZ): Rutgers ineligible Prediction: Nebraska
Sports Bowl (Detroit, MI): Prediction: Rutgers or Penn State
 

Updated after 11/8 games:
The Pac12 legacy bowls, in order of selection/prestige:

Alamo (vs Big12) Colorado played in 2024, Arizona 2023, Washington 2022, Oregon 2021
Holiday (vs ACC) Wash State played in 2024, USC 2023, Oregon 2022, UCLA 2021
Las Vegas (vs B1G) USC played in 2024, Utah 2023, Arizona State 2021
Sun (vs ACC) Wash played in 2024, UCLA 2022, Wash State 2021
LA Bowl (vs Mtn West) Cal played in 2024, UCLA 2023, Wash State 2022
Independence (vs Big12) Cal played in 2023. Nobody else recently

Eligible teams (grouped by new conference)
Oregon 8-1
USC 7-2
Washington 6-3
UCLA 3-6 (at Ohio State, Washington, at USC)

Utah 7-2
Arizona State 6-3
Arizona 6-3
Colorado 3-7

Cal 6-4
Stanford 3-7

Washington State 4-5 (LA Tech, at James Madison, Oregon State)
Oregon State 2-8

CFB Playoffs: Prediction: Oregon
Alamo: Prediction: USC
Holiday: Prediction: Utah
Vegas: Prediction: Arizona (They won't want a Wash vs Illinois rematch)
Sun: Prediction: Arizona State
LA Bowl: Prediction: Washington
Independence: Prediction: Cal
 
Last edited:

 


FireDaveLee said:
I'm surprised the entire CBS Sports database didn't shut down & explode, not knowing how to react to "Minnesota" & "Sports Bowl" not being in the same sentence.
Click to expand...
Y'know, I almost didn't even bother, but figured, might as well check just in case. I was quite surprised.
 


 

DarrenTheGreek said:
Updated after 11/8 games.
Current Standings (removing former Pac12 teams as they will likely go to Pac12 legacy bowls)
Indiana 10-0
Ohio State 9-0
Michigan 7-2
Nebraska 7-3
Iowa 6-3
Minnesota 6-3
Illinois 6-3
Northwestern 5-4 (Michigan, Minnesota, @Illinois)
Rutgers 5-5 (@Ohio State, Penn State)
Maryland 4-5 (@Illinois, Michigan, Michigan State)
Penn State 3-6 (@Michigan State, Nebraska, @Rutgers)
Michigan State 3-6 (Penn State, @iowa, Maryland)
Wisconsin 3-6 (@Indiana, Illinois, @Minnesota)
Purdue 2-8


Big Ten bowls
CFB Playoffs: Prediction: Ohio State and Indiana
Citrus (Orlando, FL): Iowa and Illinois ineligible Prediction: Michigan
Reliaquest (Tampa, FL): Michigan ineligible Prediction: Iowa
Las Vegas (Las Vegas, NV): Prediction: Illinois
Music City (Nashville, TN): Iowa ineligible Prediction: Minnesota
Pinstripe (New York, NY): Nebraska ineligible...Rutgers, Minnesota, Maryland have also been within last 8 years) Prediction: Northwestern
Rate Bowl (Phoenix, AZ): Rutgers ineligible Prediction: Nebraska
Sports Bowl (Detroit, MI): Prediction: Rutgers or Penn State
Click to expand...
If we beat NW it's very possible that nobody else gains eligibility. Maybe if Penn State beats Sparty and Nebraska the Rutgers game will have eligibility on the line. Also is it possible that the Vegas bowl opponent could be USC or Washington for whichever big ten team gets sent there? Might give us an edge since we didn't play either of those teams and Illinois played both in that scenario
 

The Deliberate Stranger said:
If we beat NW it's very possible that nobody else gains eligibility. Maybe if Penn State beats Sparty and Nebraska the Rutgers game will have eligibility on the line. Also is it possible that the Vegas bowl opponent could be USC or Washington for whichever big ten team gets sent there? Might give us an edge since we didn't play either of those teams and Illinois played both in that scenario
Click to expand...
Would be fun to get a B1G vs B1G matchup for a bowl game ;)
 





The Deliberate Stranger said:
If we beat NW it's very possible that nobody else gains eligibility. Maybe if Penn State beats Sparty and Nebraska the Rutgers game will have eligibility on the line. Also is it possible that the Vegas bowl opponent could be USC or Washington for whichever big ten team gets sent there? Might give us an edge since we didn't play either of those teams and Illinois played both in that scenario
Click to expand...
It is possible for a big ten vs big ten matchup in Vegas

I would assume they’d try to match teams that didn’t play this year
 


The Deliberate Stranger said:
If we beat NW it's very possible that nobody else gains eligibility. Maybe if Penn State beats Sparty and Nebraska the Rutgers game will have eligibility on the line. Also is it possible that the Vegas bowl opponent could be USC or Washington for whichever big ten team gets sent there? Might give us an edge since we didn't play either of those teams and Illinois played both in that scenario
Click to expand...

I would like to go to the Las Vegas Bowl for a rematch with Cal.

There are a couple of years from the past where I thought the Gophers deserved to go to the Music City Bowl but were passed up. It would be ironic if this particular team was the one to be assigned there.
 



 

IceBoxGopher said:
New bowl projections after the latest weekend.
Click to expand...
I actually like the pinstripe bowl but it’s extremely unlikely to me.
If the gophers beat northwestern, the big ten will put Illinois in the pinstripe
If the gophers lose to northwestern, the big ten will put northwestern in the pinstripe

If Michigan stumbles twice, the big ten will put Michigan in the pinstripe
 

Some guy said:
I actually like the pinstripe bowl but it’s extremely unlikely to me.
If the gophers beat northwestern, the big ten will put Illinois in the pinstripe
If the gophers lose to northwestern, the big ten will put northwestern in the pinstripe

If Michigan stumbles twice, the big ten will put Michigan in the pinstripe
Click to expand...
An 8-4 Michigan won't play in the Pinstripe bowl.
 


Some guy said:
I actually like the pinstripe bowl but it’s extremely unlikely to me.
If the gophers beat northwestern, the big ten will put Illinois in the pinstripe
If the gophers lose to northwestern, the big ten will put northwestern in the pinstripe

If Michigan stumbles twice, the big ten will put Michigan in the pinstripe
Click to expand...

How high up is the Pinstripe Bowl in selecting?

Aren't they picking behind all of Orlando, Tampa, Vegas and Nashville?

I don't see how Michigan falls past all four of those bowls, even at 8-4.

Barring an unlikely bid to the playoffs, it seems likely to me that Michigan is headed to Orlando, even at 8-4.
 


Some guy said:
What significant injuries have happened in the pinstripe bowl
Click to expand...
Mark Fletcher from Miami sustained an injury there.
Kaliakmanis and Lindenberg (lower leg) got hurt there - that field was terrible.
James Connor of PITT had his knee ripped up in 2016.
Injuries are going to happen in any game but they rarely seem to have a safe field surface.
 

IceBoxGopher said:
New bowl projections after the latest weekend.
Click to expand...
Sports bowl against the MAC would be a bummer. Any of the others against a Power 4 team sound good to me.
 

The Deliberate Stranger said:
Beat NW it'll be either the Music City or Vegas bowl, lose you can pretty much pencil us into the Rate Bowl
Click to expand...

NYC is in the mix, too.

We will most likely be fighting for spots with Nebraska, Iowa, and Illinois. Nebraska cannot go to NYC this year. So, there's a chance we get slotted there, especially if Illinois and Iowa win out.

Penn State losing one of the next two would be helpful in avoiding Detroit or PHX.
 
Last edited:

Updated after 11/15 games.
Current Standings (removing former Pac12 teams as they will likely go to Pac12 legacy bowls)
Indiana 11-0 (bye, @Purdue)
Ohio State 10-0 (Rutgers, @Michigan)
Michigan 8-2 (@Maryland, Ohio State)
Nebraska 7-3 (@Penn State, Iowa)
Illinois 7-3 (@Wisconsin, Northwestern)
Iowa 6-4 (Michigan State, @Nebraska)
Minnesota 6-4 (@Northwestern, Wisconsin)
Northwestern 5-5 (Minnesota, @Illinois)
Rutgers 5-5 (@Ohio State, Penn State)
Maryland 4-6 (Michigan, Michigan State)
Penn State 4-6 (Nebraska, @Rutgers)
Michigan State 3-7
Wisconsin 3-7
Purdue 2-9


Big Ten bowls
CFB Playoffs: Prediction: Ohio State and Indiana
Citrus (Orlando, FL): Iowa and Illinois ineligible Prediction: Michigan
Reliaquest (Tampa, FL): Michigan ineligible Prediction: Iowa
Las Vegas (Las Vegas, NV): Prediction: Illinois
Music City (Nashville, TN): Iowa ineligible Prediction: Nebraska
Pinstripe (New York, NY): Nebraska ineligible...Rutgers, Minnesota, Maryland have also been within last 8 years) Prediction: Northwestern
Rate Bowl (Phoenix, AZ): Rutgers ineligible Prediction: Minnesota
Sports Bowl (Detroit, MI): Prediction: Rutgers or Penn State

Gophers are in a tricky spot where we would like to see Nebraska lose cause that would increase our chances of jumping them but we don't want Penn State to enter bowl picture either because they could easily jump us. If Gophers go 8-4 I just don't see us falling below Music City. If Gophers go 6-6 it's either Rate Bowl or Sports Bowl.
 

Updated after 11/15 games:
The Pac12 legacy bowls, in order of selection/prestige:

Alamo (vs Big12) Colorado played in 2024, Arizona 2023, Washington 2022, Oregon 2021
Holiday (vs ACC) Wash State played in 2024, USC 2023, Oregon 2022, UCLA 2021
Las Vegas (vs B1G) USC played in 2024, Utah 2023, Arizona State 2021
Sun (vs ACC) Wash played in 2024, UCLA 2022, Wash State 2021
LA Bowl (vs Mtn West) Cal played in 2024, UCLA 2023, Wash State 2022
Independence (vs Big12) Cal played in 2023. Nobody else recently

Eligible teams (grouped by new conference)
Oregon 9-1 (USC, at Washington)
USC 8-2 (at Oregon, UCLA)
Washington 7-3 (at UCLA, Oregon)
UCLA 3-7

Utah 8-2 (K-State, at Kansas)
Arizona State 7-3 (at Colorado, Arizona)
Arizona 7-3 (Baylor, at Arizona State)
Colorado 3-7

Cal 6-4 (at Stanford, SMU)
Stanford 3-7

Washington State 5-5 (at James Madison, Oregon State)
Oregon State 2-9

CFB Playoffs: Prediction: Oregon
Alamo: Prediction: USC
Holiday: Prediction: Utah
Vegas: Prediction: Arizona State (They won't want a Wash vs Illinois rematch)
Sun: Prediction: Arizona (They won't want a Wash repeat)
LA Bowl: Prediction: Washington
Independence: Prediction: Cal

If Illinois is the Big Ten team for Vegas, Washington really falls in these scenarios since they won't have them rematch Illinois in Vegas and the Huskies were in Sun Bowl last year. For that reason there is a chance Big Ten will move Illinois up to Reliaquest and move Iowa to Vegas. Thus Vegas might be Iowa vs Washington.
 

MNVCGUY said:
Sports bowl against the MAC would be a bummer. Any of the others against a Power 4 team sound good to me.
Click to expand...

I would guess that the people who picked us for the Game Above Sports Bowl don't believe that we'll win either or our two remaining games.
 

tjgopher said:
How high up is the Pinstripe Bowl in selecting?

Aren't they picking behind all of Orlando, Tampa, Vegas and Nashville?

I don't see how Michigan falls past all four of those bowls, even at 8-4.

Barring an unlikely bid to the playoffs, it seems likely to me that Michigan is headed to Orlando, even at 8-4.
Click to expand...
I don’t know but they seemingly they get whatever team they want provided they aren’t in Florida
 


Some guy said:
I don’t know but they seemingly they get whatever team they want provided they aren’t in Florida
Click to expand...

Ten (10) times the Big Ten has sent teams to the Pinstripe Bowl.

Seven of the ten times the conference has sent a crappy 6-6 team that seems to me has been behind any team headed to Nashville, Vegas, Charlotte, etc.

Twice it has been a mediocre 7-5 team.

Only one time in ten years has an 8-win Big Ten team gone to NYC. That was in 2022 when the 8-4 Golden Gophers were chosen for Yankee Stadium because the Music City wanted a 7-5 Iowa instead of an 8-4 Minnesota.

Otherwise, NYC has gotten lower end Big Ten teams, and definitely teams it seems to me that are behind the Music City and Vegas/Duke's alternating picks, and also behind the Gator Bowl when it was in the mix, as well.
 
Last edited:

tjgopher said:
Ten (10) times the Big Ten has sent teams to the Pinstripe Bowl.

Seven of the ten times the conference has sent a crappy 6-6 team that seems to me has been behind any team headed to Nashville, Vegas, Charlotte, etc.

Twice it has been a mediocre 7-5 team.

Only one time in ten years has an 8-win Big Ten team gone to NYC. That was in 2022 when the 8-4 Golden Gophers were chosen for Yankee Stadium because the Music City wanted a 7-5 Iowa instead of an 8-4 Minnesota.

Otherwise, NYC has gotten lower end Big Ten teams, and definitely teams it seems to me that are behind the Music City and Vegas/Duke's alternating picks, and also behind the Gator Bowl when it was in the mix, as well.
Click to expand...
They’ve never had a repeat team.
We will see if that trend continues I guess
 

Some guy said:
They’ve never had a repeat team.
We will see if that trend continues I guess
Click to expand...

To me, Illinois is the only real possibility of that for NYC this year. And, they probably need to lose one or both of their remaining games to dip to Pinstripe.

Michigan isn't dropping that far. They just aren't.
 

You must log in or register to reply here.



Top Bottom