Insight Bowl: Minnesota vs. Kansas Preview

The Minnesota Golden Gophers were 7-1 and sitting pretty in the Big Ten at the end of October. Then, they four in a row and fell to 7-5 and a date with the Kansas Jayhawks December 31 at Sun Devil Stadium. The 7-5 teams will battle for the Insight Bowl. Oddsmakers currently have the Jayhawks listed as 8½-point favorites versus the Golden Gophers, while the game's total is sitting at 60. Minnesota was shut out 55-0 by Iowa in Week 13 as a 7-point underdog at home. That game's 55 points made it OVER the posted total of 44.5. Minnesota fell to 7-5 overall with the loss. Todd Reesing's TD pass to Kerry Meier with 33 seconds remaining gave Kansas a 40-37 upset win over Missouri in Week 14. The Jayhawks covered the 16.5-point spread, while the combined score played OVER the posted total of 70. Team records: Minnesota: 7-5 SU, 7-4 ATS Kansas: 7-5 SU, 6-5 ATS Minnesota most recently: When playing in December are 3-4 When playing on grass are 2-8 After being outgained are 3-7 When playing outside the conference are 6-4 Kansas most recently: When playing in December are 2-1 When playing on grass are 6-4 After being outgained are 6-4 When playing outside the conference are 9-1 A few trends to consider: The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Minnesota's last 7 games Minnesota is 6-3 ATS in its last 9 games Minnesota is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games The total has gone OVER in 5 of Kansas's last 6 games Kansas is 19-6 SU in its last 25 games Kansas is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games