The Gophers are heading to California for a bowl game for the first time since they reached the 1962 Rose Bowl.

The pairings came out Sunday, and the Gophers are heading to the Holiday Bowl to play Washington State on Dec. 27 in San Diego.

That’s a Tuesday night, and the game will be televised on ESPN at 4 p.m. (PST), which makes it an appealing bowl from a national exposure standpoint.

Washington State went 8-4, including 7-2 in the Pac-12. The Cougars have wins over Oregon, Stanford and UCLA this season but lost their final two games against Colorado and Washington.

Washington State is coached by Mike Leach, who steered Texas Tech to a stunning comeback victory over Glen Mason’s Gophers in the 2006 Insight Bowl. Leach’s squad overcame a 31-point second-half deficit in that game.

Washington State quarterback Luke Falk ranks fourth in the nation with 350.3 passing yards per game and has thrown 37 touchdown passes.

College football bowl news and updates

The Gophers went 8-4 this year, including 5-4 in the Big Ten, with the four losses coming against four teams — Penn State, Wisconsin, Nebraska and Iowa — that combined to go 38-12 this year.

Minnesota snapped its seven-game bowl losing streak last year, defeating Central Michigan 21-14 in the Quick Lane Bowl in Detroit. Mitch Leidner received MVP honors in that game, completing 24-of-30 passes for 223 yards with two touchdowns — one passing, one rushing.