Minnesota likes date with, Missouri in Citrus Bowl

The Minnesota Gophers will be playing football on New Year’s Day for the first time in 53 years, quite the feat for a program that has mostly languished in the bottom half of the Big Ten for the last half-century. “I think it’s huge in terms of exposure. You have 16-, 17-, 18-year-olds all across the country sitting in their living rooms, watching Minnesota play meaningful football,” senior DT Cameron Botticelli said. The Gophers were picked to play Missouri in the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida. The destination itself was warmly welcomed by the coaches eyeing a critical recruiting area and by the 13 players on the roster who are from the Sunshine State. – AP