David Joles, Star Tribune

Lee Campbell (30)

For the third time in four seasons, and for the second consecutive year, the Gophers will travel to Arizona to play in the Insight Bowl.

The 6-6 Gophers will play 6-6 Iowa State at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe on Dec. 31. There had been talk, and hope, of the Gophers being chosen ahead of Michigan State to play in the Alamo Bowl. But, for the third time this decade, the Alamo Bowl passed on the Gophers.

So the question: Does familiarity breed contempt? Hardly. Almost to a man, the Gophers smiled and embraced their fate.

"The bowl committee in Tempe is awesome; they're outstanding," senior linebacker Lee Campbell said. "I'm excited we're going to a bowl game, somewhere warm. I'd never say I'm disappointed. This is how it happened, so we have to go down and win a football game."

That said, there probably won't be anybody in the Gophers athletic department who will miss the Alamo Bowl once it is dropped from the Big Ten rotation after this season. In 2003 the Alamo picked Michigan State over Minnesota, even though the Gophers had one more victory. In 2006 the Alamo chose Iowa over the Gophers, though the teams had the same record and Minnesota had just beaten the Hawkeyes in the regular-season finale.

This season MSU and the Gophers had the same overall record. The Spartans had one more conference victory, but the Gophers had defeated the Spartans. Still, some thought the recent suspensions that had hit the MSU program might sway the Alamo Bowl's decision.

To seniors, such as Campbell, it's not where they will play their final college game but how they play it.

"We want to go out on a winning note," senior defensive tackle Eric Small said. "To go out on a good note would be great for the seniors and help this program as well."

Iowa State enters the game in much the same position as the Gophers were in last year. The Cyclones rebounded from a 2-10 season in 2008 to become bowl-eligible this year. But the team struggled down the stretch, losing three of its final four games after a big victory over Nebraska in Lincoln Oct. 24.

The Gophers are coming off a 12-0 loss at Iowa in the regular-season finale, and with an offense that failed to score a touchdown in its final two games. The Gophers will resume practices in the coming week. They will get 15 practice sessions before leaving for Tempe.

One thing is certain: They will know their way around once they get there. Wouldn't a change of scenery have been a good thing?

"I'm not going to lie," linebacker Simoni Lawrence said. "I was ready to play a Texas Tech or an Oklahoma. But I'm sure Iowa State will give us a lot as well."

Like the fans, the players said they'd heard rumors of where they might go. The reality is a familiar one, in a familiar place.

"Taking on an up-and-coming Iowa State program will be a tremendous challenge," coach Tim Brewster said in a release.