There will be no Big Ten Championship Game for the Gophers — Wisconsin from the West and Ohio State from the East will meet Saturday night in Indianapolis. But they have their best chance of recent seasons at landing a higher-profile bowl game invitation.

Their 8-4 overall record and 5-3 conference mark are a tick better than last year, when they went 4-4 in the Big Ten and earned an invitation to the Texas Bowl. Syracuse upset the Gophers 21-17.

The Gophers finished in a tie for the fourth-best conference record this year. That doesn't mean they'll get the Big Ten's fourth-best bowl game slot, however. A bowl will request a team, but the Big Ten can approve that request or assign another team.

The most optimistic landing spot for the Gophers could be the Jan. 1 Citrus Bowl. Wisconsin played in the Citrus last year, and Nebraska was in Orlando in 2012 and 2011, and the Big Ten is trying to keep programs from traveling to the same cities. The Citrus (formerly the Capital One Bowl) is a Big Ten-SEC matchup. Missouri, Auburn and Ole Miss are candidates from the SEC to land there. Minnesota-based Buffalo Wild Wings sponsors the game.

Other possible bowl destinations for the Gophers: the Outback Bowl (Jan. 1, Tampa, Fla.), Holiday Bowl (Dec. 27, San Diego) and TaxSlayer Bowl (Jan. 2, Jacksonville, Fla.).

As a reminder, the Big Ten champ won't be going to the Rose Bowl, unless that team qualifies for the first four-team College Football Playoff. The Rose Bowl is a semifinal game for the playoff, and a committee will create the four-team field. Ohio State has the best chance to represent the Big Ten in the playoff, should it beat Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship Game. If the Badgers win the conference title game, they still would be a long shot for the playoff.

The Gophers, like most teams, will find out their bowl fate on Sunday, Dec. 7.

Staff Reports