The proliferation of bowl games makes it feel like every team in college football gets a chance to play in one. That's not the case, of course, but there are so many bowl games these days that it doesn't always feel like a reward for a good season.

The Gophers are being rewarded for a good season.

The Gophers will finally play in a New Year's Day game, their first since 1962. They reportedly will play Missouri in the Citrus Bowl in Orlando on Jan. 1.

This represents another positive step for Jerry Kill and his program.

The Gophers have earned bowl trips in the past decade, but they've always been lower-tier bowl games. Nothing that really excites the fan base or inspires large number of fans to travel.

This is an attractive bowl game, a good opportunity for a program that's building something. A New Year's Day game in Florida against a team that played in the SEC Championship game.

This game will give Kill's program more national exposure and provides more evidence that the Gophers are trending in the right direction.