The 2020 Outback Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 1, 2020, with kickoff at 1:00 p.m. EST on ESPN. It was the 34th edition of the Outback Bowl, and was one of the 2019âÂÂ20 bowl games concluding the 2019 FBS football season. The game was named after its title sponsor, Outback Steakhouse.
The game matched the Minnesota Golden Gophers from the Big Ten Conference and the Auburn Tigers from the Southeastern Conference (SEC). This was the first meeting between the programs.
Minnesota entered the game with a 10âÂÂ2 record (7âÂÂ2 in conference). They finished tied with Wisconsin atop the Big Ten's West DivisionâÂÂWisconsin advanced to the Big Ten Championship Game due to their regular season win over Minnesota. The Golden Gophers were 1âÂÂ2 against ranked FBS opponents, defeating Penn State while losing to Iowa and Wisconsin. This was Minnesota's first appearance in the Outback Bowl.
Auburn entered the game with a 9âÂÂ3 record (5âÂÂ3 in conference). They finished in third place in the SEC's West Division. The Tigers were 3âÂÂ3 against ranked FBS opponents, defeating Oregon, Texas A&M, and Alabama while losing to Florida, LSU, and Georgia. This was Auburn's fifth Outback Bowl; the Tigers were 2âÂÂ2 in their previous appearances.