The University of Minnesota has accepted an invitation to play Georgia Tech in the 2018 Quick Lane Bowl on Dec. 26. The game will be played at Ford Field in Detroit, Mich., and is scheduled for a 4:15 p.m. CT kickoff and will be televised by ESPN.
The game will mark Minnesota's second appearance in the Quick Lane Bowl and will be the Gophers' 20th bowl game all-time. Minnesota beat Central Michigan 21-14 in the 2015 Quick Lane Bowl.
Tickets are on sale now and the priority deadline for ticket orders is Monday, Dec. 10. Fans who place orders prior to 5 p.m. on Dec. 10 will be allocated seats based on their Gopher Score rank. All orders placed after 5 p.m. on Dec. 10 will be filled on a first come, first served basis based on availability.
Minnesota and Georgia Tech have never played, but the Gophers have played 21 games against current ACC members. The Gophers are 14-7 in those games, which includes a 9-3 mark against its most-played opponent Pittsburgh.
Minnesota's three most recent games against an ACC team have all come against Syracuse. The Gophers beat the Orange 23-20 in overtime on the road in 2009 and 17-10 at home in 2012. Syracuse topped Minnesota 21-17 in the 2013 Texas Bowl, which was also the last time the Gophers played an ACC team.
Minnesota finished the season with a 6-6 record and earned a bowl berth after beating rival Wisconsin 37-15 on the road in the final game of the season. In doing so, the Gophers reclaimed Paul Bunyan's Axe and beat the Badgers for the first time since 2003 and won at Wisconsin for the first time since 1994.
Georgia Tech finished the season 7-5 overall and was 5-3 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Yellow Jackets won four of their final five games to earn a bowl berth.