Bowling Green vs. Minnesota Prediction, Odds, Trends and Key Players for Quick Lane Bowl

Bowling Green and Minnesota kick off the second half of the 2023 college football bowl season with the Quick Lane Bowl on December 26th.

Minnesota only had five wins on the season, but due to the lack of teams with the typical six wins necessary to make a bowl game, the team made the postseason but will be without its starting quarterback or backup, leaving the way for third-stringer Cole Kremer to start against Bowling Green, who finished MAC play on a tear.

Bowling Green played in this bowl game last season, but lost to New Mexico State, can the team get a better result in this year's bowl game?

Here are the odds and our betting preview for the Quick Lane Bowl!

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Bowling Green vs. Minnesota Odds, Spread and Total

Minnesota vs. Bowling Green Betting Trends

• Bowling Green is 5-1 ATS in its last six games
• The OVER is 4-1 in Bowling Green's last five games
• Bowling Green is 4-2 ATS in its last six games as an underdog
• Minnesota is 1-4 ATS in its last five games
• Minnesota is 9-1 straight up in its last 10 games vs. MAC opponents
• The UNDER is 7-1 in Minnesota's last eight games played in December

Bowling Green vs. Minnesota How to Watch

• Date: Tuesday, December 26th
• Game Time: 2:30 PM EST
• Venue: Ford Field
• How to Watch (TV): ESPN
• Bowling Green Record: 7-5
• Minnesota Record: 5-7

Bowling Green vs. Minnesota Key Players to Watch

Bowling Green

Terion Stewart: Will Stewart, the best player on the Bowling Green offense, play in this one? Stewart missed the team's final three games with a leg injury and will be needed as the team won't have backup Ta'ron Keith, who is in the transfer portal. Stewart was the only player on the Falcons to run the ball more than 100 times (120) and averaged nearly seven yards per carry with eight touchdowns.

Minnesota

Cole Kremer: Kremer is the only quarterback on the active roster after both Athan Kaliakmanis and Drew Viotto entered the transfer portal. In four seasons of seldom action, Kremer has compiled eight completions on 14 pass attempts with two touchdowns and two interceptions.

Bowling Green vs. Minnesota Prediction and Pick

While Minnesota is a Big Ten team, playing in a far tougher conference than Bowling Green, a MAC member, I don't see any difference between the state of both teams.

The Golden Gophers struggled all year and will turn to a third-string quarterback in its bowl game. Meanwhile, the team's defense, which has been its calling card over the past several years, has struggled mightily and won't have its defensive coordinator Joe Rossi, who took the same position at Michigan State. The team is 96th in yards per play allowed and particularly poor at defending the run, allowing nearly five yards per carry.

That's Bowling Green's strength, who is 15th in EPA/Rush and may get Stewart back in the fold. The team has an identity around its run game and vaunted defensive line, which is top 20 in sacks this season and has gained more turnovers than any team in the country (27). Doesn't this seem like a really good spot for a havoc-driven defense to show up and beat a team that is full of question marks on offense?

Meanwhile, the Gophers are 119th in yards per play this season, and now are starting an outmatched quarterback.

Name brands are likely driving the fact that Minnesota is favored, but I don't expect the team to get margin on Bowling Green's formidable defense with a complete zero at quarterback.

I'll take the points in a bowl game where they are likely hard to come by.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

Track Reed's bets here!