Week 13 Bowl Projections Thread

Donate To GopherHole
corcorangopher said:
Question if Gophers should decline invite if less than Vegas. No need to get hurt for ESPNs money - not sure this is a year that the Grating or Pinup Bowl has any program value.
Click to expand...
Nobody is declining any bowls. The B1G splits all postseason revenue equally (which is why we should always hope a B1G team makes the playoffs). Declining a bowl hurts all the teams.

Note: last year was an exception, because the experience would have been miserable for the players, spending Christmas isolated in a hotel room.
 



corcorangopher said:
Question if Gophers should decline invite if less than Vegas. No need to get hurt for ESPNs money - not sure this is a year that the Grating or Pinup Bowl has any program value.
Click to expand...
The B1G picks the matchups and there is no option to decline. Get real, sonny.
 




We haven't really been "screwed" by bowl selections as often as people seem to think. I feel like the example people most often bring up is the Alamo Bowl in 2003. We absolutely did not get screwed there, but I was on the board at the time and many people felt we did. Minnesota and Michigan State both finished 5-3 in the conference with Minnesota having one more overall win. Of course that was in the era of 4 non-conference games and the Gophers finding four cream puffs to pad their record. The key thing here was Michigan State beat Minnesota in 2003...at Minnesota. It was completely reasonable of the Alamo Bowl to take Michigan State over Minnesota in that situation. In 2015 we got a very nice gift of the Citrus Bowl as a 5-3 B1G team over a 7-1 Wisconsin team due to Wisconsin being there the year before.

I do think a potential Guaranteed Rate Bowl really does point to the missed opportunities this program has had to make itself much more of a national brand. We should have been in the B1G title game in 2019. We were supposed to contend for a spot there again in 2020 and had a very poor season. In 2021, we should have been in the B1G title game again (I'd argue more of this was bad luck this time) and absolutely should have been better than 8-4. I saw a ton of commercials for the B1G title game on Thursday Night Football last night and it would have been great exposure for our program. If we were in the title game in 2019, our name value is probably enough to not get passed over this year for some of these other bowls. If we make it in 2019 and 2021, the program is in a much different spot with possibly just one more total win (1 in 2019 and then one more Iowa loss in 2021). Hopefully we have the opportunity again soon, but there's no guarantee we will. When you have the chance to truly change the standing of your program, you've got to grab it.
 

Captain Obvious said:
I had moved from MN to the south a few years before the 2018 MCB and attended it because it was the closest bowl game. Purdue trailed 56-7 at halftime and many Purdue fans (naturally) left at halftime to beat the traffic onto I-65. I'm hoping that Ramsay at MCB considers that Purdue fans may remember that nightmare. Leading to a Gopher offer.
Click to expand...
That had to be a depressing experience for Purdue fans especially since Minnesota and Wisconsin won their games handily in the earlier Big Ten bowls that year. The worst time to be slaughtered is is in a bowl game because that is the last memory you carry through the next 8 months.

I'm good with either the Music City or Las Vegas. I just hope we don't play Tennessee there if it's Music City. That opponent doesn't as much for our postseason ranking potential as some others.
 

EG#9 said:
I do think a potential Guaranteed Rate Bowl really does point to the missed opportunities this program has had to make itself much more of a national brand.
Click to expand...

Well, that would be true if that happens but we haven't been assigned there yet. I've seen very few prognosticators pick that destination for the Gophers. More are picking the Outback than picking that one. The plurality seem to be picking Music City or Las Vegas.
 



cjbfbp said:
Well, that would be true if that happens but we haven't been assigned there yet. I've seen very few prognosticators pick that destination for the Gophers. More are picking the Outback than picking that one. The plurality seem to be picking Music City or Las Vegas.
Click to expand...
After looking at airfare prices, I'm kind of hoping it's Music City as that would be one I could maybe drive to (stop in Chicago on the way). Airfare to Phoenix is super high for that week. Vegas not quite as bad but a lot higher than I normally would pay to go to Vegas.
 

corcorangopher said:
Question if Gophers should decline invite if less than Vegas. No need to get hurt for ESPNs money - not sure this is a year that the Grating or Pinup Bowl has any program value.
Click to expand...
What you say is valid ... but absolutely not on the table.

Another big thing is that going to a bowl game lets you have 15 extra practices, that teams without a bowl game don't get to have.

That alone is worth it.
 


Word said:
After looking at airfare prices, I'm kind of hoping it's Music City as that would be one I could maybe drive to (stop in Chicago on the way). Airfare to Phoenix is super high for that week. Vegas not quite as bad but a lot higher than I normally would pay to go to Vegas.
Click to expand...
Could fly to Vegas and drive with rental car, if you were planning to get a rental in Phoenix anyway. Looks like about 4hr drive each way.
 



MplsGopher said:
Wow. Smoked them!

Not once, but twice. And usually the winner of the first game is at a disadvantage for the rematch.
Click to expand...

I'm glad the line was only 3.5. If it would have been a TD....I would have taken the Ducks for sure. I assume Ohio State will play them in the Rose Bowl. That will be a VERY interesting game.
 

MplsGopher said:
Could fly to Vegas and drive with rental car, if you were planning to get a rental in Phoenix anyway. Looks like about 4hr drive each way.
Click to expand...
I have done that drive a couple times. It's an outside possibility.
 


Over the years Jerry Palm had been spot on with his projections. If betting I would place my bet on Nashville vs TN. Bums me out. Been there way too many times already.. Heck, give me Phoenix!
 

EG#9 said:
We haven't really been "screwed" by bowl selections as often as people seem to think. I feel like the example people most often bring up is the Alamo Bowl in 2003. We absolutely did not get screwed there, but I was on the board at the time and many people felt we did. Minnesota and Michigan State both finished 5-3 in the conference with Minnesota having one more overall win. Of course that was in the era of 4 non-conference games and the Gophers finding four cream puffs to pad their record. The key thing here was Michigan State beat Minnesota in 2003...at Minnesota. It was completely reasonable of the Alamo Bowl to take Michigan State over Minnesota in that situation. In 2015 we got a very nice gift of the Citrus Bowl as a 5-3 B1G team over a 7-1 Wisconsin team due to Wisconsin being there the year before.
Click to expand...
Whereas in 1999 when Minnesota beat Penn State, 2005 when Minnesota beat Michgan, and 2006 when Minnesota beat Iowa......

The rules seemed to always change with the Alamo Bowl......they had 3 opportunities to select Minnesota; chose no every time.
 

The Strib article also noted that one of the head honchos for the Guaranteed Rate bowl is a U of MN alum and a MN native.

My personal opinion - I don't get too worked up over which bowl game the Gophers go to. This may be a negative point of view, but they're not going to the Rose Bowl or one of the traditional New Year's Day bowls, and they're not in the playoffs. After that, one bowl game is really not that different from another.

for all practical purposes, the other bowl games are essentially just another non-conf game - albeit against a (generally) better-known opponent.

if you don't want to get passed over in the bowl game pecking order, then beat Bowling Green and Illinois. If the Gophs are 9-3 or 10-2, it's an entirely different discussion.

for me, the main reason to watch the bowl game is to see if the Gophers make any changes on offense or come up with some tweaks on play-calling.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
The Strib article also noted that one of the head honchos for the Guaranteed Rate bowl is a U of MN alum and a MN native.

My personal opinion - I don't get too worked up over which bowl game the Gophers go to. This may be a negative point of view, but they're not going to the Rose Bowl or one of the traditional New Year's Day bowls, and they're not in the playoffs. After that, one bowl game is really not that different from another.

for all practical purposes, the other bowl games are essentially just another non-conf game - albeit against a (generally) better-known opponent.

if you don't want to get passed over in the bowl game pecking order, then beat Bowling Green and Illinois. If the Gophs are 9-3 or 10-2, it's an entirely different discussion.

for me, the main reason to watch the bowl game is to see if the Gophers make any changes on offense or come up with some tweaks on play-calling.
Click to expand...

Bowl games are a chance to play teams that we'd otherwise never see. The Gophers seem to schedule the PAC-12 more often than some other conferences. That's why I prefer to see an SEC game. Plus....they tend to have a bit more name recognition....for the most part.

After that....you also have to consider when the bowls are on. For example....the Pinstripe Bowl is on Wednesday the 29th at 1:15. Yuck. Not a great time as far as viewership is concerned. Bowl games are a great chance to advertise the program.
 










ottertail said:
Hope thats true but Phoenix per 247 latest.

247sports.com

Final Minnesota Gophers Football 2021 Bowl Projections

With conference championship games wrapped up, the final College Football Playoff rankings will be released on Sunday morning at 11 AM CST on ESPN. Once the New Year's Six
247sports.com 247sports.com
Click to expand...

What? 247's projection is the Music City Bowl.

But I'll roll with the unnamed sources saying it's going to be the Outback Bowl against the Razorbacks. Going to want to hear what @DeltaHog thinks about that matchup.
 

You must log in or register to reply here.



Top Bottom