We’re simply hours away from studying Minnesota’s bowl vacation spot and opponent. The ultimate Faculty Soccer Playoff rankings might be launched on Sunday in the course of the 11 AM central hour. As soon as these are out and the playoff discipline is about, bowl recreation bulletins will start trickling out, making official bowl matchups which can be already starting to trickle out from school soccer insiders.
With the Huge 12 championship recreation wrapped up, we must always have all the data we have to iron out who Minnesota will face of their bowl recreation, so I wished to place collectively one closing, abbreviated bowl projections forward of Sunday’s formal announcement. Whereas the playoff image nonetheless has some questions that should be finalized, we all know that the Huge Ten could have three playoff groups (Indiana, Ohio State, and Oregon), which suggests I can venture with a great diploma of confidence the remainder of the Huge Ten’s bowl slate.
With out additional ado, listed here are GopherIllustrated’s closing Huge Ten bowl projections for the 2025 season:
Faculty Soccer Playoff – Ohio State (First Spherical Bye)
Faculty Soccer Playoff – Indiana (First Spherical Bye)
Faculty Soccer Playoff – Oregon vs. Tulane
Citrus Bowl (Orlando, FL) – Michigan vs. Texas
ReliaQuest Bowl (Tampa, FL) – Iowa vs. Vanderbilt
Las Vegas Bowl (Las Vegas, NV) – Nebraska vs. Utah
Music Metropolis Bowl (Nashville, TN) – Illinois vs. Tennessee
Pinstripe Bowl (New York, NY) – Penn State vs. Pittsburgh
Charge Bowl (Phoenix, AZ) – Minnesota vs. Iowa State
GameAbove Sports activities Bowl (Detroit, MI) – Northwestern vs. Ohio
—-
Alamo Bowl (San Antonio, TX) – USC vs. BYU
LA Bowl (Inglewood, CA) – Washington vs. Boise State
By way of adjustments that might occur as I write this throughout halftime of the Georgia/Alabama recreation for the SEC championship, just about all the things facilities on what occurs with the SEC. If Georgia winds up blowing out Alabama, there’s a change that the Crimson Tide might get bounced from the playoffs. If that occurs, there might be some questions marks in regards to the opponents within the Citrus, ReliaQuest, and Music Metropolis bowls. I’m undecided we’ll get a second straight 12 months of Michigan vs. Alabama, so Texas within the Citrus Bowl might keep as is. It’s an extended shot, although, I’m not anticipating to see Alabama dropped from the playoffs simply because they needed to play an additional recreation.
On the flip aspect, Oregon could have an opportunity to seize a primary spherical bye if Alabama is ready to comeback and beat Georgia. I think about that there might be loads of howling from SEC followers if the Huge Ten winds up with three of the 4 byes, however that appears to be what final Tuesday’s CFP rankings units up for ought to Alabama prevail.
Aside from that, I really feel fairly snug with these picks, together with opponents (aside from the GameAbove Sports activities Bowl – how the MAC groups get slotted to bowls has all the time been a little bit of a black field I haven’t cared sufficient to look into). That doesn’t imply I can promise that these are all assured, however these are picks that I’m blissful to place my title on.
It helps that a great deal of the drama has already been taken out of the Huge Ten’s bowl image. Brett McMurphy, who might be the title I belief most on the subject of breaking bowl-related information, tweeted earlier Saturday that a lot of the Huge Ten’s lineup has been set, with the Citrus, ReliaQuest, Vegas, Music Metropolis, and Pinstripe bowls have their Huge Ten groups locked in as I’ve listed above (and as was my projection on Tuesday, lest you suppose I’m making an attempt to assert confirmed experiences as projections!).
That would go away Minnesota and Northwestern nonetheless unconfirmed, with the Charge and GameAbove Sports activities bowls to be stuffed. The Star Tribune’s Randy Johnson quotes from the manager director of the Fiesta Sports activities Basis, which runs the Charge Bowl, that might level in the direction of Minnesota being the decide.
These quotes additionally included a clue in the direction of who the opponent is likely to be – “We positive would not thoughts a Minnesota-Iowa State matchup to harken again to the previous instances,” Moses stated. Add that remark to a be aware from The Athletic’s Scott Dochterman that indicated that Iowa State would like a Charge Bowl matchup towards Minnesota as a substitute of a return to the Memphis-based Liberty Bowl, the place the Cyclones performed in 2023.
These two gadgets are sufficient to guide me to venture Iowa State because the opponent for Minnesota within the Charge Bowl. TCU, who had been my decide in Tuesday’s article, seems to be headed to the Pop-Tarts Bowl, so the opposite Huge 12 crew that may very well be within the working for the Charge Bowl bid is Cincinnati. As of writing this text, I haven’t but seen any information confirming the Huge 12’s bowl plans, in order that aspect of the potential matchup is a little more open ended.
Leave a Reply