Minnesota vs. Virginia Tech prediction, odds, spread: 2025 Duke's Mayo Bowl picks from college football model
One of the more entertaining non-CFP bowl games takes place on Friday between Minnesota and Virginia Tech. It's the 2025 Duke's Mayo Bowl, and per tradition -- as well as sponsorship arrangement -- the winning coach will get a giant jar of mayonnaise dumped on his head. It could be either Minnesota's P.J. Fleck, who has led his team to a 7-5 record and has won his last five bowl game appearances. Or, it could be Virginia Tech's Brent Pry, who's guided his team to a 6-6 record, with the Hokies seeking back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 2016-17. Virginia Tech is down more than a dozen starters, including star running back Bhayshul Tuten, due to NFL opt-outs and exits via the transfer portal, while a majority of Minnesota's roster remains intact.
Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. ET from Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C. The Golden Gophers are favored by 10 points in the latest Virginia Tech vs. Minnesota odds, per SportsLine consensus. The over/under for total points is 43. Before entering any Minnesota vs. Virginia Tech picks or 2025 Duke's Mayo Bowl bets, you'll want to see the college football predictions and betting advice from the proven computer model at SportsLine.
The model simulates every FBS game 10,000 times. Since its inception, it has generated a betting profit of well over $2,000 for $100 players on its top-rated college spread football picks, and it is 43-35 on top-rated picks during the 2024 season. It also nailed all four winners in the first round of the College Football Playoff. Anyone following at sportsbooks and on betting apps has seen impressive returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Virginia Tech vs. Minnesota in the Duke's Mayo Bowl 2025. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Here are several college football betting lines for Minnesota vs. Virginia Tech:
Since starting its season 2-2 against the spread (ATS), the Golden Gophers have been on a roll versus the line, only suffering one ATS defeat over their last eight games. Their overall ATS record of 8-3-1 is the best in the Big Ten, and just five teams in all of FBS have a better cover percentage this season. Also, you can't ignore Fleck's unparalleled bowl game success as he's 5-0 straight-up in bowl games at Minnesota, going 4-1 versus the line.
For the third time in four years, Minnesota boasts a top-12 scoring defense in all of FBS. It is stout both on the ground and thru the air, ranking in the top 25 nationally in both yards per rush allowed and yards per pass attempt given up. On offense, the Golden Gophers are clutch where it matters the most by ranking in the top 25 in both third-down conversion percentage and redzone scoring. Additionally, Fleck's squad dominates the turnover battle as it has twice as many takeaways (20) as it has giveaways (10). See which team to pick here.
The Hokies have a commanding run game that has overwhelmed some of the best teams in the country, and they'll hope to keep it rolling, even without Tuten on the field. They ran for over 200 yards against Miami (FL), Syracuse and Marshall -- three 10-win teams -- and they nearly rewrote the program record books by rushing for 368 yards against Boston College. That success on the ground sets up play-action opportunities and downfield shots, and few take advantage of those more so than wideout Stephen Gosnell, who leads the ACC with 18.4 yards per reception.
On the other side of the ball, Virginia Tech doesn't make things easier for opposing quarterbacks as it allows the sixth-lowest completion percentage in college football. The Hokies rank 14th in sack rate, and that could cause issues for Minnesota's offense. The Golden Gophers have allowed 10 total sacks over their last two games and are expected to be without two starting offensive linemen due to transfers and opt-outs. See which team to pick here.
The model has simulated Virginia Tech vs. Minnesota 10,000 times and the results are in. The model is leaning Over on the total, projecting 50 combined points. It's also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in well over 50% of simulations. You can only see the model's pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Minnesota vs. Virginia Tech in the 2025 Duke's Mayo Bowl, and which side of the spread hits well over 50% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Virginia Tech vs. Minnesota spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that is up well over $2,000 on top-rated spread picks since its inception, and find out.
Want some mayo with that? A behind-the-scenes look at the Duke’s Mayo Bowl mayonnaise bath
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Imagine having 5 gallons of mayonnaise dumped over your head.
Well, that’s exactly what the winning head coach of the annual Duke’s Mayo Bowl receives as a “reward” for winning the game at Bank of America Stadium, a tradition born in 2021 as Duke’s Mayo looked to carve out its unique niche in the college football bowl world.
Each year, the mayo dump trends on social media — and college football fans just can’t seem to look away, no matter how disgusting the idea is to some observers.
“I think with my bald head the mayo should just slide right off,” joked Minnesota head coach P.J. Fleck, whose team will play Virginia Tech on Friday night in the bowl game. “I might have to do a little pre-dumping of the mayo just to make sure it does slide off. I have my own strategy just in case, but I can’t let me secret out.”
There’s plenty of preparation that goes into the annual mayo dump.
Staff members begin by pouring five 1-gallon containers of mayonnaise into a large Gatorade-sized cooler around the start of the fourth quarter. Then, they take turns briskly stirring the mayo for more than 25 minutes with a large wooden stick.
“That changes the consistency just a little bit so it’s more pourable,” said Duke’s Mayo brand director Rebecca Lupesco. ”Some people think we add water. There’s no water added, it’s just straight mayonnaise. We just stir it up. It can be a workout.”
As tradition has it, the winning coach is seated on a chair on the field after the game and two workers will raise the cooler and pour the mayo over his head.
It’s a process that needed to be refined over time.
In 2021, one of the handles on the cooler shifted, causing South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer to get bopped over the head with the bucket after being doused in mayo. That issue has since been addressed and the handles have been fortified to make them immovable.
“Since that incident we now pick our mayo dumpers very carefully,” Lupesco said with a smile. “Last year we did a mayo combine where 10 people were selected to come in and compete. They had to do deadlifts with buckets of mayonnaise and catch footballs with mayo on their hands. We had to make sure these people were strong enough.”
This year’s mayo dumpers remain a surprise.
But they will be adequately trained first, Lupesco said. She said the two pourers will practice by dumping multiple buckets of mayo over a “dummy coach” earlier in the day, with an emphasis on making sure they lift the cooler high enough above the coach’s head so no one gets hit in the head.
Virginia Tech coach Brent Pry said he’s not a big fan of mayonnaise, but would gladly accept the bath if it means a Hokies win.
“It will be like, ‘c’mon and give it to me! I want that sucker!,’” Pry said. “The players and my family have had a lot of fun watching other coaches get dumped on. So I hope we are that fortunate.”
Former West Virginia coach Neal Brown was last year’s recipient of the mayo dump after his Mountaineers’ 30-10 blowout win over North Carolina — a moment he’ll almost certainly never forget.
“I feel cold, I feel wet. ... but I feel like a winner,” Brown said while covered in mayonnaise.
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