Minnesota vs. Virginia Tech:
The final non-CFP Power Four teams to play for the 2024 season are the Minnesota Golden Gophers and Virginia Tech Hokies. They will do that in Charlotte for the Duke’s Mayo Bowl on Friday January 3, as the winning head coach will get a “mayo bath”. These two teams haven’t played since November 29 and November 30, respectively, so you really do wonder how invested and engaged they are.
Nevertheless, a bowl game is a chance to end the season with a win and only about 40 teams can say they’ve done that in one of the extra games. Injuries and opt-outs are huge factors in this one to say the least, leading to Minnesota as a sizable favorite.
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Duke’s Mayo Bowl: Minnesota Golden Gophers (-9.5, 42.5) vs. Virginia Tech Hokies
How To Watch The Duke’s Mayo Bowl
When: Friday January 3, 7 p.m. ET
How: ESPN
Where: Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC
Let’s start with the biggest names absent from the Virginia Tech depth chart. QB1 Kyron Drones is not going to play. He was hurt late in the season and head coach Brent Pry and Drones’ camp seem to feel like it’s not really worth it as he’s had more than one ailment. QB2 Collin Schlee was hurt late in the season and is questionable for the bowl game, though the line movement suggests he probably won’t play either.
Pry may simply opt to go with freshman William “Pop” Watson III, who had 46 pass attempts and 31 rushing attempts during the regular season. At least he’s a potential piece for the future for the Hokies. It seems like they’ll be looking at some guys at the running back position as well since Bhayshul Tuten, who led the team with 1,139 yards, is highly unlikely to play. Drones was the second-leading rusher so the Hokies are going way down the depth chart while missing at least two offensive line starters.
Several starters are missing on defense as well. The Hokies are likely to have at least 26 players of consequence out for this game between injuries, the portal, and preparations for the NFL Draft. That is a bottle of tough pills to swallow against a Minnesota team that has won seven straight bowl games.
The Gophers have a smattering of players in the portal or with a business decision to make, but QB Max Brosmer is not one of them and neither is leading rusher Marcus Taylor. Brosmer had a 17/5 TD/INT ratio for the Gophers, who play at a very slow tempo. Normally we think of them as a run-heavy team, but they actually had more pass attempts than rushing attempts. It was just that they moved very deliberately on offense.
They’ll do so without star right tackle Phillip Daniels, who transferred to Ohio State and potentially two other offensive linemen. However, PJ Fleck recruits that position well and he’s had plenty of time to work with those guys over the extended layoff. The experience level may drop off, but this is a group that had just 3.6 yards per carry this season. Brosmer’s sacks and ineffective scrambles played a role, but the ground game wasn’t overly explosive.
Virginia Tech’s players should be excited to play, as a lot of backups, third-stringers, and underclassmen will get a shot that they haven’t really gotten. Minnesota is a high-quality bowl team on an annual basis. I think this will be a defensive struggle in Charlotte, as Watson feels his way around the offense and Minnesota keeps playing at a snail’s pace.
Pick: Under 42.5
