It took until 1:25 a.m. Sunday, but the Gophers found out that they are going to a bowl game, even with a 5-7 record.
Hawaii's 27-24 victory over Colorado State — on Matthew Shipley's 51-yard field goal as time expired in Honolulu — prevented the Rams from reaching six wins to achieve bowl eligibility. That means the Gophers, who lost 28-14 to Wisconsin on Saturday, will get the last bowl spot because of their work in the classroom.
Because there are only 79 teams to fill the 82 spots in the 41 bowl games, teams with five victories that have the highest Academic Progress Rate scores can fill open bowl spots. The Gophers have a multiyear APR score of 992, the highest remaining among five-win teams. It's the route that the 5-7 Gophers of 2015 used to play in the Quick Lane Bowl in Detroit.
There is a twist this year with the bowls and eligibility. The NCAA is allowing James Madison (10-1) and Jacksonville State (8-3) — teams that are in the transitionary period in their move from Football Championship Subdivision to Football Bowl Subdivision — to fill the first two open bowl spots.
As of 10 p.m. Saturday, there were left two spots to fill, and there were two 5-6 teams playing late with hopes to get to six victories. Cal reached that by hammering host UCLA 33-7, claiming the final 6-6 spot. Colorado State, which got a 70-yard touchdown pass and subsequent two-point conversion to tie the score 24-24 with 54 seconds left, couldn't finish off Hawaii and will sit at home during bowl season.
That result gave the last spot to the Gophers, and coach P.J. Fleck said after the loss to Wisconsin that Minnesota would play in a bowl game.
"We'll always accept a bowl bid — always," Fleck said after Saturday's game. "There's so many beneficial things to a bowl game. With practices, with development and, to be honest, we might be our best football team in a month if we get everybody back [from injuries]."
The Gophers' bowl destination will be announced Dec. 3, and the Quick Lane Bowl in Detroit and Las Vegas Bowl seem to be their most likely destinations. Here are projections of the New Year's Six bowls, plus the other Big Ten games:
New Year's Six
Rose Bowl, national semifinal, Jan. 1, Pasadena, Calif.: Michigan vs. Washington
Sugar Bowl, national semifinal, Jan. 1, New Orleans: Georgia vs. Florida State
Fiesta Bowl, Glendale, Ariz., Jan. 1: Oregon vs. Alabama
Orange Bowl, Dec. 30, Miami: Ohio State vs. Louisville
Peach Bowl, Dec. 30, Atlanta: Penn State vs. Tulane
Cotton Bowl, Dec. 29, Arlington, Texas: Texas vs. Missouri
Other Big Ten bowls
Citrus Bowl, Jan. 1, Orlando: Iowa vs. Ole Miss
Music City Bowl, Dec. 30, Nashville: Wisconsin vs. Auburn
Pinstripe Bowl, Dec. 28, New York: Rutgers vs. Georgia Tech
Guaranteed Rate Bowl, Dec. 26, Phoenix: Maryland vs. Kansas
Quick Lane Bowl, Dec. 26, Detroit: Gophers vs. Northern Illinois
Las Vegas Bowl, Dec. 23: Northwestern vs. Utah
