MINNESOTA vs. NEW MEXICO

What: Rate Bowl
When: 3:30 p.m. CDT Friday
Where: Chase Stadium, Phoenix
TV: ESPN
Radio: KFAN-FM 100.3
Betting spread: Minnesota minus-2.5

Records: Minnesota (7-5) is bowl eligible for the sixth time in eight non-pandemic seasons under P.J. Fleck. New Mexico (9-3) is bowling for the first time since 2016.

History: This is the first matchup between the two programs and was an unlikely pairing that first needed two Big XII Conference teams (Iowa State and Kansas State) to opt out of bowl bids.

Resumes: The Gophers went 7-0 at home for the first time since 1967, but they stumbled to 0-5 on the road. They went 5-4 in Big Ten play, with late comebacks against Rutgers, Purdue and Michigan State, won handily against Nebraska and captured Paul Bunyan’s Axe against Wisconsin. But outside of Minnesota, they were blown out at Ohio State, Iowa and Oregon, and they couldn’t stop 6-6 Northwestern at Wrigley Field.

Under first-year head coach Jason Eck, the Lobos lost their season opener 37-17 to No. 14 Michigan at the Big House, but knocked off UCLA 35-10 at the Rose Bowl two weeks later. At 6-2, they finished in a four-way tie for the Mountain West lead, snapping long losing streaks to Colorado State and Air Force. But losses to Boise State, San Jose State and tiebreakers kept them from the conference championship game.

Big question: Can the Gophers keep their bowl win streak alive? Minnesota has won eight in a row, six straight under Fleck. The U doesn’t mail it in during bowls, but it will be playing a motivated Lobos team keen on knocking off another Big Ten team this season. The all-time bowl winning streak is Florida State’s run of 11 in a row from 1985-95.

Who has the edge?

Gophers offense vs. New Mexico defense: The Lobos were believed to be starting at “rock bottom again” after the exit of Bronco Mendenhall to Utah State, per an anonymous Mountain West assistant in Athlon, but Eck rocketed past those expectations. A respectable defense is a big reason why; they are allowing only 22.5 points per game, 48th in the nation … Minnesota’s offense is averaging 23 points a game, coming in at 98th in the country, but had more success with QB Drake Lindsey throwing it at the end of the season. The redshirt freshman completed 75% of passes in the snow and cold against the Badgers and had a four-TD game versus Northwestern. … Lindsey likely won’t have his No. 1 target, senior Le’Meke Brockington, who is expected to opt out. … The Gophers did not have a turnover in their final four regular-season games. … LB Jaxton Eck, the head coach’s son, led the team with 126 total tackles. … Keyshawn James-Newby, a 6-foot-2, 245-pound edge rusher, has been a menace with a team-high eight sacks and 63 total pressures, ranks third in the nation according to Pro Football Focus. EDGE: Gophers 

Gophers defense vs. New Mexico offense: Lobos QB Jack Layne, a transfer from Idaho, completed 66% of his passes for 13 touchdowns and nine interceptions in 12 games. Eight of those picks came in the Lobos’ three losses. … Minnesota is 76th in the nation with eight interceptions; John Nestor’s two picks proved pivotal in the rivalry win over the Badgers. … DE Anthony Smith, who was second in the Big Ten with 10½ sacks, is playing in the bowl but hasn’t announced whether he will return in 2026. …. Senior DT Deven Eastern, who is headed to the Senior Bowl in January, also is expected to play. … New Mexico had three running backs with more than 349 rushing yards and at least five touchdowns. Backup QB James Laubstein also added 306 yards on the ground. … Minnesota was 31st in the nation versus the run (121 yards per game) but its woes — an average of 500 total yards allowed against Michigan State, Oregon and Northwestern — are still somewhat fresh. The U did limit Wisconsin to 268 total yards in the winter weather on Nov. 29. EDGE: Gophers

Special teams: Minnesota K Brady Denaburg made 67% of his total field goal attempts this season but he made than less 30% from beyond 40 yards. …  New Mexico’s K Luke Drzewiecki made 94% of field goals this year. … KR Damon Bankston took one to the house against Boise State. Minnesota’s KR Koi Perich had a 93-yard return against Northwestern. EDGE: New Mexico

Prediction: The Gophers always come ready to play in the postseason, and Friday will be no different. Minnesota is a disciplined team, which will uncork a few trick plays with added prep time. New Mexico beat a Big Ten team, but 3-9 UCLA was at its nadir then. Gophers, 28-24

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PHOENIX — The Rate Bowl no longer has the word “Guaranteed” in its name, and the concept of bowl games as a whole are no longer as promised. The expected expansion of the College Football Playoff from its current 12-team format up to 16, or perhaps 24, in upcoming years will mean fewer teams available for bowls.

When Notre Dame was left out of this year’s playoff, the Fighting Irish’s decision to not play in a bowl sent shockwaves through the sport.

“We are going to have an open mind of what the bowl system looks like,” Gophers athletics director Mark Coyle told the Pioneer Press on Wednesday. “I think people like the conference rivalries and the matchups when you play other conferences.”

One of the biggest reasons the bowl structure will at least resemble its current breadth is TV ratings. The 2024 Rate Bowl between Rutgers and Kansas State received 3.5 million viewers on the day after Christmas, which was its most-watched game since 2015.

The Gophers-Virginia Tech matchup in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl on Jan. 3 had 3.3 million on that Friday night, per an estimate compiled from Sports Media Watch.

“Saying that, ‘Oh, bowl games are dead,’ and taking bowl games away, I don’t think is very healthy. I don’t,” Fleck said last week. “I’m a huge advocate of bowl games. How we structure them from here on out, and what that looks like, and what conferences team up to do it, I think could be really interesting as we move forward.”

Bigger fines

Coyle said he is a proponent of schools receiving larger fines if they opt out of playing in bowls.

Both Iowa State and Kansas State — which were going through head coaching changes — were fined $500,000 by the Big XII Conference for declining to participate in this postseason. They were possible opponents for the Gophers before passing on the opportunities, which opened the door for New Mexico to take their place.

Pay to stay

The Gophers’ current revenue-sharing contracts with player include a payment for when they appear on the active roster for the bowl game. While some players will still opt out and forgo this money, the clause in their contract can be seen as an attempt to incentive players to remain with the program for the final game of the season.

Santa Fleck

Fleck and wife Heather make it a point to give a Christmas present to all of the assistant coaches’ and support staff’s children. This year, it’s up to more than 50 gifts to be opened during breakfast on Christmas Day. The staff also goes out to a restaurant for a nice meal earlier in the bowl week.

“You want to make it feel like the holiday season as much as possible and keep those traditions alive, especially for the kids,” Fleck said.

Briefly

Fleck was surprised by Jim McMahon during Wednesday’s practice in Phoenix. Fleck grew up in suburban Chicago and was a huge fan of the former Bears quarterback. Fleck has even dressed up as McMahon for Halloween many times. … When Rate dropped “Guaranteed” from its name in 2024, they issued a statement filled with corporate jargon. This bowl, in its 36th year, has also been called the Copper Bowl, Insight.com Bowl, Insight Bowl, Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl, Cactus Bowl and Cheez-It Bowl. … Minnesota’s fifth appearance in this bowl ties Kansas State for the most. The Gophers also were here in 2006, ’08, ’09 and ’21.

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Some people have already made their January travel plans. But for travel overachievers, that’s uninspired, as they’re already plotting out February.

The coldest, grayest, shortest month of astronomical winter — with a little nugget of love in its midsection, thanks to Valentine’s Day — can be a challenging time to vacation. That’s where Lonely Planet comes in with its new guide, “The top 10 places to visit in February 2026.”

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The travel company’s editors put their heads together to pick a diversity of destinations, depending on whether “you need restful break after the holiday season or an exhilarating adventure to kick-start your year.” And they included tips about what makes each place worth visiting, from gorgeous beaches to historic intrigue to a sizzling street-food scene.

There’s also one spot with polar-bear safaris, though perhaps that’s best left to people who really enjoyed the movie “Grizzly Man.” Here are the recommendations and to-do suggestions.

Lonely Planet’s top places to visit in February 2026

1 St. Lucia, the Caribbean: beaches

2 Montreal: the dining scene

3 Mendoza, Argentina: enjoying wine

4 Singapore: street food

5 Wyoming: skiing

6 Madeira, Portugal: an island vacation

7 Tanzania: safaris

8 Cambodia: historic sites

9 United Arab Emirates: plenty of sun

10 Manitoba, Canada: polar-bear safaris

Source: lonelyplanet.com/articles/where-to-go-in-february

In the last year or so, health influencers — and a lot of women on social media — have talked up testosterone therapy as a kind of perimenopausal panacea. They promise boundless energy, crisper thinking, better sleep — and, most of all, a roaring libido.

Sounds awfully tempting.

But like a lot of things when it comes to women’s health, these claims are way ahead of the science, contorting it, even, in ways that set women up for disappointment.

“A lot of attention has been on selling things to midlife women, rather than just trying to help them improve their quality of life,” says Jan Shifren, director of the Midlife Women’s Health Center at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Shifren says women routinely come into her office asking about products, including testosterone, purported to have magical benefits with no risk. She gently tries to adjust their expectations. “When you step back, if it sounds too good to be true, it is too good to be true,” she says.

Testosterone is a case in point. Although we tend to associate testosterone with men, women produce it too, albeit at much lower levels that decline as we age. Studies consistently show that raising testosterone levels in postmenopausal women to the upper limit of what is normal for a younger woman (say, someone in her 20s) can slightly improve sexual function. What does that look like? In clinical trials, women had about one additional “satisfying event” over four weeks compared with those taking a placebo, Shifren says.

The reality is that there is currently no FDA-approved testosterone product for women — and the only concrete evidence that testosterone might improve low libido applies to postmenopausal women. Even in that group, the effects are relatively modest.

To be clear, that modest improvement might be meaningful for many older women, and they absolutely should be offered treatment if they seek it. But it’s not the hair-on-fire, life-changing experience that some women are reporting on social media.

“When people say, ‘I want it for energy, I want it for weight loss, I want it to preserve my muscle tone’ — those are not indications for testosterone,” says Monica Christmas, associate medical director of the Menopause Society.

True, pumping up the dosage can give women an almost euphoric high, Christmas says. However, that effect will eventually subside, and to recapture it, they will have to continue increasing the dose. In doing so, they aren’t restoring testosterone levels to where they were in their 20s but rather elevating them to low levels typically seen in men.

That approach also carries risks that experts worry aren’t being sufficiently emphasized to women. Higher doses can cause hair loss (along with hair growth on the face and other areas many women would probably find undesirable), clitoral enlargement, acne and vocal changes that can be permanent. Particularly troubling is that some women are receiving those higher doses via pellets — typically purchased from compounding pharmacies that may or may not be reliable. The pellets are implanted and release the hormone over the course of months, and they can’t be removed if problems arise. There is no long-term data to show whether women taking these high doses might experience health problems down the road.

Meanwhile, the best data we have on safely using testosterone — specifically in low doses that restore physiological levels in women — also underscores the complex nature of our sexual well-being. Two recent studies conducted by Susan Davis, an endocrinologist at Monash University in Australia who has spent decades studying the hormone, underscore the disconnect between how some health influencers talk about testosterone and what it can realistically offer.

By mining data from the Australian Women’s Midlife Years Study, which has enrolled over 5,000 women, Davis found that women’s testosterone levels gradually decline around age 40, reaching a low point in their late 50s before increasing slightly again. Of note, that decline was attributed to age itself and not connected to when a woman went through menopause.

Davis then studied those same women’s sexual well-being over the menopause transition. She found that those who are perimenopausal — meaning they have started to experience things like hot flashes and night sweats and whose menstrual cycle has become less regular — are twice as likely to have a desire dysfunction as premenopausal women. Yet their testosterone levels aren’t wildly different.

Together, the two studies suggest that testosterone levels don’t change much during menopause, but sexual function does, and the change happens early on, Davis explains. That means testosterone decline isn’t the culprit. More telling, though, are the two main commonalities among the women experiencing distress: depression and being partnered.

As expert after expert stressed to me, women’s levels of desire and sexual satisfaction are typically tied to a range of issues — some physical, some mental, and some simply a part of life. They might be experiencing more pain during sex as they age, or, as Davis’ data suggests, they may be depressed or just a bit bored with their partner. Many middle-aged women also struggle to find the time, energy, and privacy for extracurricular activities because they are doing so much caregiving for children and elders while navigating their careers.

Those problems aren’t immutable. Doctors have several treatments they can and should be offering women, whether that’s vaginal estrogen or pelvic floor therapy to help with pain or discomfort, certain antidepressants that are known to have modest effects on libido, or even pills specifically designed to increase desire.

And, yes, testosterone is an option, too, but women need to remember that the only proof of efficacy is in women who are postmenopausal. On that front, US regulators could make it a lot easier for women to safely use testosterone if they approved a dosage meant for them — for example, by approving a product for low libido. Instead, women are relegated to compounders or forced to adapt high-dose products intended for men.

Given the complexity of our sexual health, it’s probably helpful to stop hoping there will be a single magic pill or potion that can transport us back to our more carefree younger years. That wishful thinking is understandable (and completely relatable). But it can only lead to disappointment and might even cause us to self-experiment in ways that could cause harm.

Lisa Jarvis is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering biotech, health care and the pharmaceutical industry. Previously, she was executive editor of Chemical & Engineering News.