Quick Lane Bowl: Bowling Green vs Minnesota Odds, and Picks (Dec 26)

• Bowling Green has heated up quite a bit, after winning five of their last six games.
• Minnesota fell to 5-7 on the season, after ending the year with four straight losses.
• These two teams last met on September 25, 2021, in a game Bowling Green won 14-10.

College football has reached bowl game season! Let’s preview the Quick Lane Bowl between the Bowling Green Falcons and the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Minnesota made a bowl game despite going just 5-7.

How to Watch

• ESPN

Preview

Bowling Green had another solid season, winning enough games to make a bowl game for the 2nd year in a row. The Falcons are still seeking their first bowl win since 2014, after a 6-year drought without any postseason games. They’ll be battle-tested after playing a very difficult schedule. The five teams that beat Bowling Green this season hold a combined record of 58-8. They’ll face a much more beatable team here.

Minnesota finished the season with four straight losses, sliding to just 5-7. Typically, only teams that reach six wins participate in bowl games, but they filled in an empty slot when not enough teams reached that mark. They were selected based on academic rankings, but will need to overcome their sluggish play to have a chance here. Minnesota went 1-0 against MAC opponents this season, and will try to make it 2-0.

Prediction

The MAC is the FBS’ weakest conference, which results in their teams being underdogs most of the time in out of conference matchups. That is again the case here for Bowling Green, despite being matched up with a 5-7 Minnesota team that has lost four straight. I don’t expect to see either team taking full control here. Ultimately, I believe the Falcons are the better and more motivated team, and will win this matchup.

NCAAF Picks:

• Bowling Green 24, Minnesota 20 ()