Chase Field; Phoenix, Ariz.
Gambling odds according to WynnBET:
- Line: Minnesota -3.5
- Over/Under: 45
- Moneyline: Minnesota -180; West Virginia +150
Two teams who were really close to having much better seasons will travel from the heartland of America to Arizona and face off in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl. For one of them, at least, top 25 implications could be in play.
The Minnesota Golden Gophers head into this game with an 8-4 record. They would already be in the top 25 if they hadn’t suffered a shocking 14-10 loss to the Bowling Green Falcons, a team Tennessee football demolished in the opener. An eight-point loss to the Illinois Fighting Illini and five-point loss to the Iowa Hawkeyes are the only other blemishes for P.J. Fleck’s team.
Meanwhile, the West Virginia Mountaineers still can’t cross the six-win mark in Neal Brown’s third season. They could do it in the bowl game, but they came close to doing it in the regular season with one score losses to the Maryland Terrapins, Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Tech. There’s no top 25 finish in play for them, but they could finish with a winning record.
Prediction
WVU offensive analyst Kirk Ciarrocca is now Minnesota’s offensive coordinator. Also, Minnesota is just a better team. As a result, they’ll win pretty comfortably. Take them to cover. However, take the over only because this over/under is set so low.
Minnesota: 34 West Virginia: 21 (Minnesota -3.5; Over 45)
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