Duke's Mayo Bowl: Virginia Tech vs. Minnesota, how to watch, odds & more

The Hokies and Gophers are finally set to play in the Duke's Mayo Bowl on Friday night in Charlotte.

Nov 2, 2024; Syracuse, New York, USA; Virginia Tech Hokies wide receiver Stephen Gosnell (12) runs past Syracuse Orange defensive back Marcellus Barnes Jr. (7) after making a catch in the first quarter at JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images
Nov 2, 2024; Syracuse, New York, USA; Virginia Tech Hokies wide receiver Stephen Gosnell (12) runs past Syracuse Orange defensive back Marcellus Barnes Jr. (7) after making a catch in the first quarter at JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

In what has been a disappointing bowl season for the ACC, Virginia Tech will play the final bowl for the conference on Friday night. The Hokies will clash with Minnesota in Duke’s Mayo Bowl, looking to improve the conference’s 2-9 record. Duke is scheduled to play Ole Miss in the Gator Bowl Thursday night.

For Virginia Tech, it is going to be an uphill battle against a Minnesota team that played some of the top teams in the Big Ten tough this season, and on top of that, Tech will be without a number of key players because of opt-outs. As we close in one kick-off in just one day, here is all the information you need to watch the Hokies and Gophers battle in Charlotte.

How to Watch Virginia Tech vs. Minnesota Duke’s Mayo Bowl

This is the season's next-to-last non-playoff bowl game, which is honestly hard to believe, with the Bahamas Bowl between Buffalo and Liberty being played on Saturday morning. 

  • Date: Friday, Jan.3
  • Time: 7:30 p.m.
  • Venue: Bank of America Stadium
  • How to Watch: ESPN, ESPN.com, ESPN+, or FuboTV
  • Virginia Tech Record: 6-6
  • Minnesota Record: 7-5

Virginia Tech will be turning to Pop Watson to make the start at quarterback, but the good news is that Watson and Kyron Drones are both going to return for 2025. UCLA transfer Collin Schlee will back up Watson but expect to see Schlee play with some plays in the playbook set for him. The bigger news for the Hokies is the return of Bud Foster for one game with a headset, he’ll be extra eyes in the sky for Brent Pry and interim defensive coordinator Shawn Quinn. 

At the time that this article is being written, Minnesota is a 9.5-point favorite and since the line opened, it has ballooned a couple of points with an over/under of 43 points. All signs point to the Gophers covering the point spread, with the over being a slight favorite.

Schedule

Schedule