Minnesota used to be a college football juggernaut back in the earlier part of the 20th century. The Golden Gophers won AP National Championships in 1936, 1940, 1941 and 1960 and then went through a long stretch of wilderness with dips into the abyss.
Now, lo and behold, the Gophers have slowly worked their way back into relevance. No, there are no national titles or playoff berths. PJ Fleck annually has a tough, competitive team, though, which is more than most could say through the years in Minneapolis.
And there is one stat that places Minnesota ahead of playoff era powerhouses like Clemson and Notre Dame and even with programs like Alabama and Ohio State- the Gophers claim eight bowl wins since 2014- more than the Tigers and Irish and just as many as the Crimson Tide and Buckeyes.
It’s an impressive streak that started under former head coach Tracy Claeys and has continued through the Fleck era.
GOPHER BOWL STREAK
2015 QUICK LANE BOWL (Detroit)
Minnesota 21, Central Michigan 14
2016 HOLIDAY BOWL (San Diego)
Minnesota 17, Washington State 12
2018 QUICK LANE BOWL (Detroit)
Minnesota 34, Georgia Tech 10
2019 OUTBACK BOWL (Tampa)
Minnesota 31, Auburn 24
2021 GUARANTEED RATE BOWL (Phoenix)
Minnesota 18, West Virginia 6
2022 PINSTRIPE BOWL (Bronx)
Minnesotta 28, Syracuse 20
2023 QUICK LANE BOWL (Detroit)
Minnesota 30, Bowling Green 24
2024 DUKES MAYO BOWL (Charlotte)
Minnesota 24, Virginia Tech 10
Granted, the biggest bowl game the Gophers have participated in during this streak has been the Outback Bowl in Tampa where they knocked off Auburn, but the program is on a nice run relatively speaking and certainly has put more in the trophy case. Minnesota has only been to 25 bowl games in the history of the program and nine of them have been in the playoff era with only six coming prior to 2000.
Sometimes when the glory days are long gone and you hope to someday get back, you have to get to a certain plateau. Minnesota, with a limited recruiting base relative to its location, has reached a higher plateau from where it once was during the abyss years and collecting more bowl hardware at least gives them something to show for it.
The Gophers open the 2025 season on Thursday, August 28, 2025 against Buffalo, at Huntington Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. Kickoff time and television information has not yet been announced.
