Overview
- Kickoff at Chase Field is set for 2:30 p.m. MST (3:30 p.m. CT) with national television coverage on ESPN.
- The matchup marks the first-ever meeting between the Golden Gophers and the Lobos.
- New Mexico enters at 9-3 after six straight wins and a 6-0 home record, returning to bowl play for the first time since 2016.
- Minnesota went 7-5 and carries the nation’s longest active bowl winning streak at eight straight, with P.J. Fleck 6-0 in bowls.
- Rate Bowl executive director Erik Moses said Minnesota was the top Big Ten choice and confirmed a quick pivot to UNM, while Lobos coach Jason Eck said he learned of the opportunity on Sunday and welcomed a quality opponent.