By Mike Hendrickson

Minnesota is going bowling this year, as the Gophers been selected to face Central Michigan in the Quick Lane Bowl on Dec. 28 in Detroit at Ford Field, the team announced Sunday.

The Gophers made a bowl game despite a 5-7 due to their Academic Progress Rate ranking.

“With how many young kids we have coming back and how many young kids we redshirted in the offensive line and in secondary and all that, I think [a bowl game] would be a big help,” head coach Tracy Claeys said last Monday. “We are prepared for that. I visited with the kids [Sunday] night, and our kids coming back are excited about if we would get that opportunity.”

Central Michigan went 7-5 overall this year. They were 82nd in the FBS in scoring offense and 33rd in scoring defense.

This is the fourth year in a row the Gophers have made a bowl game. They played in the Texas Bowl in 2012 and 2013, losing both times. Minnesota played in the Citrus Bowl last year and lost to Missouri in its first January bowl game since 1962.