STrib: Are the Gophers one win from a Rose Bowl berth? Yes, but ...

[BleedGopher]

per Joe:

If the Gophers defeat Wisconsin, will that clinch at least a Rose Bowl berth for Minnesota, with a trip to the College Football Playoff still in the cards?

Basically, yes. But it’s not official. To track the probability, pay attention to the CFP rankings, with the next edition coming Tuesday night at 6:45 p.m.

Saturday’s Axe winner advances to the Big Ten Championship Game against No. 2 Ohio State. If Minnesota defeats Wisconsin and Ohio State, it’ll have a very strong case to make the four-team Playoff. The CFP semifinal games this year are Dec. 28, at the Peach Bowl (Atlanta) and Fiesta Bowl (Glendale, Ariz.).

But, strange as it might sound, we keep hearing from Gophers fans who are more focused on bringing the team back to the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1962.

Since the Rose Bowl is not a CFP semifinal this year, it will feature the traditional Big Ten vs. Pac-12 matchup. If the Big Ten champion gets selected to the CFP, the Rose Bowl must select another Big Ten team (same for Pac-12).

Rose Bowl guidelines say the bowl “will traditionally select the next-highest CFP-ranked team from that conference. There is, however, a caveat.”

Are the Gophers one win from a Rose Bowl berth?

But at the same time, the Gophers would remain in the CFP discussion.

www.startribune.com

Go Gophers!!

 

[MplsGopher]

"
“If the next-highest ranked team is in a ‘cluster’ of teams, meaning there is another team or teams from the same conference ranked within several spots of each other, the Tournament of Roses will select the team from that cluster that will result in the best possible matchup for the Rose Bowl Game,” Rose Bowl chairman Scott Jenkins wrote on the bowl’s website.

But the long drought for Gophers fans plays in their favor.

“In a cluster situation,” the Rose Bowl’s website says, the bowl “will take into account factors, in no particular order, such as: the last time a team played in the Rose Bowl Game, head-to-head results, regular season schedule, overall record, opponents played, past playoff or bowl appearances and performance, and historical matchups.”
"

I think this speaks highly of our Rose chances, so long as we beat Wisconsin.


If Oregon beats Utah, they won't make the CFP and will be in the Rose. If Utah wins, it has a chance at the CFP, but might fall down to the Rose as well.

 

[Veritas]

Really, if you had to bet thousands of dollars right now on which bowl game the Gophers will be going to and you thought the Gophers had a 51% chance or better of beating Wisconsin you would have to bet the Gophers were going to the Rose Bowl. No other possibility would be able to compete with that scenario. BEAT THE BADGERS!!