Auburn’s goal to finish the season with 10 wins continues, now with its bowl game opponent determined.
Auburn is set to face the Minnesota Golden Gophers in the Outback Bowl. The game will be televised on ESPN at 12 p.m. CST on Jan. 1.
Minnesota finished the season 10-2 overall and 7-2 in the Big Ten. The Gophers are led by head coach P.J. Fleck, who has turned the program around in his third season. The Gophers' two losses this season came from ranked teams in Iowa and Wisconsin.
Prior to coaching at Minnesota, Fleck was the head coach at Western Michigan from 2013-16. While at Western Michigan, he led the Broncos to a MAC championship in 2016 and a Cotton Bowl appearance.
This will be the first meeting between Auburn and Minnesota. Historically, Auburn is 11-8-2 against the Big Ten. The Tigers are 2-2 all-time in the Outback Bowl with the latest appearance coming in 2014. For the Gophers, this will be their first time in the Outback Bowl.
If Auburn is able to win its bowl game, it would be the third 10-win season for the Tigers under head coach Gus Malzahn. He won 12 games in 2013 and 10 games in 2017.
This will be Auburn's fifth New Year's Day bowl game appearance under Malzahn and the seventh consecutive bowl game appearance.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
