Bowl season is underway, and the Minnesota Golden Gophers and the Syracuse Orange will compete for postseason bragging rights in the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium at 2 p.m. ET on Thursday. Coming off of a win even when the odds were against them, Minnesota has to be feeling especially confident now that the spread is in their favor.
The Golden Gophers beat the Wisconsin Badgers 23-16 four weeks ago. Minnesota QB Athan Kaliakmanis was slinging it as he passed for two TDs and 319 yards on 29 attempts.
Special teams collected 11 points for Minnesota. K Matthew Trickett delivered a perfect 3-for-3 game.
Meanwhile, 'Cuse had a touchdown and change to spare in a 32-23 win over the Boston College Eagles four weeks ago. 'Cuse's RB Sean Tucker did his thing and rushed for two TDs and 125 yards on 21 carries.
This next game looks promising for Minnesota, who are favored by a full 10 points. Those playing the odds have seen things go back and forth with the Golden Gophers, who are 5-5 against the spread.
Two defensive stats to keep in the back of your head while watching: Minnesota comes into the contest boasting the fewest passing touchdowns allowed in the nation at eight. As for the Orange, they enter the matchup with only 188.8 passing yards allowed per game on average, good for 19th best in the nation.