Bowl projections for Minnesota after Week 9

One topic we have yet to broach here is where the Minnesota Golden Gophers might be headed for their bowl game. They’ve been bowl-eligible for a couple weeks now, but for obvious reasons we’ve avoided predicting their vacation destination because a lot can happen between now and the end of November. There is too much uncertainty to be sure.

But with the bye week, I was curious where the experts see the Minnesota Golden Gophers landing once the dust has settled on the regular season.

ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura: Orange Bowl (Dec. 30, Miami, Florida) vs. Wake Forest

ESPN’s Mark Schlabach: Outback Bowl (Jan. 1, Tampa, Florida) vs. Texas A&M

CBS Sports’ Jerry Palm: Outback Bowl (Jan. 1, Tampa, Florida) vs. Texas A&M

Banner Society’s Jason Kirk: Outback Bowl (Jan. 1, Tampa, Florida) vs. Texas A&M

College Football News: Gator Bowl (Jan. 2, Jacksonville, Florida) vs. Kentucky

As you can tell, most expect a trip to the Sunshine State. The Gophers’ last excursion to Florida was on Jan. 1, 2015, when Jerry Kill led his squad to the program’s first New Year’s Day bowl game since 1962. Minnesota ended up losing 33-17 to Missouri in the Citrus Bowl.

Minnesota has never been to the Outback Bowl, nor has the program ever played Texas A&M, so a New Year’s Day date with the Aggies would represent a couple of firsts for the Gophers.