Minnesota vs West Virginia: Guaranteed Rate Bowl prediction, game preview, how to watch
Minnesota vs West Virginia: Guaranteed Rate Bowl How To Watch
Date: Tuesday, December 28
Game Time: 10:15 pm ET
Venue: Chase Field, Phoenix, AZ
How To Watch: ESPN, Live stream on ESPN+
Records: Minnesota (8-4), West Virginia (6-6)
CFN Predictions | Bowl Schedule
Minnesota vs West Virginia Guaranteed Rate Bowl Preview
– You’ll have to forgive Minnesota if it feels a tad bit snubbed. There’s hardly anything wrong with Phoenix in December – especially if your school has tunnels so students don’t have to walk through the cold – but the Gopher team that finished second in the Big Ten East got a lesser bowl slot than Wisconsin and a much weaker draw than a 7-5 Penn State team that’s off to the Outback.
– Minnesota – winner of four straight bowl games and the last two under PJ Fleck – will show up big anyway. Literally. It’s a bruising team with a massive offensive line that spent the season pounding away for a series of backs – the Gophers had big injury problems at running back – to go along with a defense that’s been great against the run and allowed just 18 points per game.
– West Virginia had to win its last two games to get eligible just to be here, and it has a tough enough team to make the most of the chance.
The run defense is aggressive and strong, and the offense is outstanding at controlling the clock and the tempo. There might not be a whole lot of big plays coming from the attack, but the Mountaineers will be more than happy to grind this out with the Gophers.
Minnesota vs West Virginia Preview
Why Minnesota, West Virginia Will Win
Prediction, What’s Going To Happen, History
Guaranteed Rate Bowl Top Players To Know
NEXT: Why Minnesota Will Win, Why West Virginia Will Win, Guaranteed Rate Bowl Prediction
Why West Virginia Will Win The Guaranteed Rate Bowl
The run defense might not have the bulk, but it should be able to hold up.
This isn’t a high-octane Gopher team that’s going to come out and wing it all around the yard. There’s little guesswork to what the team wants to do.
The Mountaineer D has been run on at times, but it hasn’t be gouged. It allowed 239 yards to Iowa State – and won. It allowed 203 yards to Texas – and won. The team had a much bigger issue this year against the teams that could throw well and force takeaways.
Minnesota isn’t that big on forcing turnovers and the passing game is mostly along for the ride. Tanner Morgan might be a veteran quarterback, but the ground game has to rumble for the Gophers to win.
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Why Minnesota Will Win The Guaranteed Rate Bowl
West Virginia is missing its star back with Leddie Brown – over 1,000 yards and 13 touchdowns – opting out. There are plenty of other options – Minnesota certainly knows how to win football games with backup running backs – but Brown was the star of the ground attack.
The Mountaineers don’t have a huge turnover problem, but they don’t force enough takeaways and they seem to struggle more than most to pull off wins when they make mistakes.
Minnesota is good at keeping the ball, better at controlling the clock, and as long as it doesn’t have to press and force anything big, it should be able to make West Virginia play at its level.
The more of a grind this gets, the better it is for the Gophers. They want to rely on their giant offensive line to take over in the fourth quarter for long, tough drives.
NEXT: What’s Going To Happen, Minnesota vs West Virginia Prediction, Guaranteed Rate Bowl History
Minnesota vs West Virginia: Guaranteed Rate Bowl, What’s Going To Happen
West Virginia lives on ball control, but Minnesota is better at that.
If you’re looking for a whole lot of flash, splash, and dash, keep on moving. But if you’re in for a late night of tough running, keeping the clock moving, and PJ Fleck coming up with yet another good win over a team outside of the Big Ten, here you go.
Both teams will bring the fight, and Minnesota – with a slew of key parts returning – will use this as a launching pad to what should be a strong 2022.
Guaranteed Rate Bowl: Minnesota vs West Virginia Prediction, Lines
Minnesota 26, West Virginia 17
Line: Minnesota -4, o/u: 45
ATS Confidence out of 5: 3
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Must See Rating: 3.5
5: “Die Hard” (as a Christmas movie)
1: “A Very Boy Band Holiday”
CFN Predictions | 2021-2022 Bowl Schedule
Guaranteed Rate Bowl History
2020 Canceled
Cheez-It Bowl
Dec. 27, 2019 Air Force 31, Washington State 21
Dec. 26, 2018 TCU 10, Cal 7 OT
Cactus Bowl
Dec. 26, 2017 Kansas State 35, UCLA 17
Dec. 27, 2016 Baylor 31, Boise State 12
Jan. 2, 2016 West Virginia 43 Arizona State 42
Jan. 2, 2015 Oklahoma State 30 Washington 22
Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl
Dec. 28, 2013 Kansas State 31 Michigan 14
Dec. 28, 2012 Michigan State 17 TCU 16
Insight Bowl
Dec. 30, 2011 Oklahoma 31 Iowa 14
Dec. 28, 2010 Iowa 27 Missouri 24
Dec. 31, 2009 Iowa State 14 Minnesota 13
Dec. 31, 2008 Kansas 42 Minnesota 21
Dec. 31, 2007 Oklahoma State 49 Indiana 33
Dec. 29, 2006 Texas Tech 44 Minnesota 41 (OT)
Dec. 27, 2005 Arizona State 45 Rutgers 40
Dec. 28, 2004 Oregon State 38 Notre Dame 21
Dec. 26, 2003 California 52 Virginia Tech 49
Dec. 26, 2002 Pittsburgh 38 Oregon State 13
Dec. 29, 2001 Syracuse 26 Kansas State 3
Dec. 28, 2000 Iowa State 37 Pittsburgh 29
Dec. 31, 1999 Colorado 62 Boston College 28
Dec. 26, 1998 Missouri 34 West Virginia 31
Dec. 27, 1997 Arizona 20 New Mexico 14
Copper Bowl
Dec. 27, 1996 Wisconsin 38 Utah 10
Dec. 27, 1995 Texas Tech 55 Air Force 41
Dec. 29, 1994 BYU 31 Oklahoma 6
Dec. 29, 1993 Kansas State 52 Wyoming 17
Dec. 31, 1992 Washington State 31 Utah 28
Dec. 31, 1991 Indiana 24 Baylor 0
Dec. 31, 1990 California 17 Wyoming 10
Dec. 31, 1989 Arizona 17 N.C. State 10
Minnesota vs West Virginia Preview
Why Minnesota, West Virginia Will Win
Guaranteed Rate Bowl Top Players To Know
