West Virginia vs. Minnesota
Guaranteed Rate Bowl: Dec. 28 in Phoenix, AZ
Minnesota -4 · Over/Under: 45
The most interesting storyline for this game involves 2021 West Virginia offensive analyst Kirk Ciarrocca, who could actually help the Gophers prepare for the Mountaineers.
Head coach PJ Fleck recently fired offensive coordinator Mike Sanford Jr. and replaced him with Ciarrocca, who previously served as OC in Minnesota from 2017-19.
Current co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach Matt Simon will call plays for the bowl game with Ciarrocca not participating, but that doesn’t mean he can’t provide valuable insight into West Virginia’s offense. It’s certainly a very unique situation.
West Virginia did lose three players to the transfer portal in December, including:
- LB VanDarius Cowan
- OT Parker Moorer
- WR Isaiah Esdale
However, none were primary contributors in recent games. Esdale did finish as the team’s fourth-leading receiver and primary punt returner, but Cowan and Moorer lost most of their playing time by season’s end.