Quick Lane Bowl point spread: Picking Bowling Green Falcons vs. Minnesota Golden Gophers

The holiday season also means Bowl Season, and fans won’t have to wait long after Christmas for a full slate of bowl games. Dec. 26 will start with the Quick Lane Bowl between Bowling Green and Minnesota, and the pick is in from On3’s Andy Staples.

How to watch Bowling Green vs. Minnesota in the Quick Lane Bowl

Time: Dec. 26, 2 p.m. ET
Channel: ESPN, FuboTV (streaming)
Location: Ford Field, Detroit, Mich.

Minnesota is in an interesting spot entering the matchup and enters as a 4.5-point underdog, according to FanDuel. Not only did starting quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis enter the transfer portal, but backup Drew Viatto did, as well. That leaves Cole Kramer to start the game, and rumors swirled he was offered some $30,000 in NIL money to participate. He later debunked that.

But given that Minnesota is on its third-string quarterback — not to mention the fact that Bowling Green had the fourth-best total defense and fifth best scoring defense in the MAC — Staples thinks the Falcons can not only cover, but win.

“I don’t know how much I trust Minnesota’s offense in this game,” Staples said on Andy Staples On3. “Bowling Green’s defense only gives up 3.9 yards per carry on the ground, because I’m assuming Minnesota is going to try to keep this on the ground.

“Here’s the other part about Bowling Green’s defense — plus-8 turnover margin, 27 takeaways this season. If they are doing what they’ve done most of the season defensively, I think Bowling Green’s going to win this game. So I am picking Bowling Green to win. I get 4.5 points anyway. I’ll take it.”

Minnesota had a rough go in 2023, ranking 12th out of the 14 Big Ten teams in total offense and 11th in scoring as the Golden Gophers finished with a 5-7 record. Normally, that would mean they miss out on a bowl appearance, but there weren’t enough 6-win teams this year. As a result, P.J. Fleck and Co. are heading to Detroit.

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As for Bowling Green, the Falcons put together a 7-5 overall record and a 5-3 mark in MAC play. The Falcons’ run defense was a big part of that success, ranking fourth in the conference with 137.2 yards allowed per game on the ground.