Auburn Villager: Golden Gophers a tough test for Auburn

[BleedGopher]

per Mark:

Auburn will be the solid favorite to win its bowl matchup as the Tigers play the Minnesota Golden Gophers for the first time in football, but my guess is that this opponent will offer much more of a challenge than the last Big Ten team on the AU schedule.

Last December, the Tigers embarrassed the Purdue Boilermakers in the Music City Bowl at Nashville. When the Tigers and Gophers meet at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa on New Year’s Day, the quality of opposition should be higher.

P.J. Fleck was named Big Ten Coach of the Year as the Gophers finished with a 10-2 record, including victories in the team’s first nine games before suffering a four-point setback on the road vs. the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Fleck is known as a high-energy motivator of a coach. He has put together a team that features an offense that probably has the largest line the Tigers have ever faced, including 6-foot-8, 400-pound sophomore Daniel Faalele. All five of the Gophers on the offensive front won some type of all-league recognition this season.

Golden Gophers a tough test for Auburn

Auburn will be the solid favorite to win its bowl matchup as the Tigers play the Minnesota Golden Gophers for the first time in football, but my guess is that

www.auburnvillager.com

Go Gophers!!

 

[Jeshurun]

Clearly they haven’t read Gopher Hole.

 

[A_Slab_of_Bacon]

"including 6-foot-8, 400-pound sophomore Daniel Faalele"

Or not including.

 

[giveme]

They're 7.5 point favorites, which is a pretty big line for a bowl game. (Although it's nothing compared to the 13.5 point LSU/Oklahoma line.)

I'd certainly make Auburn the favorite, although I think the 7.5 point line is too high. I think Auburn by 4 should be about the betting line.