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Ranking Minnesota Football’s Toughest Games on the 2026 Schedule - GopherHole.com
This August, the Minnesota Golden Gophers football team will kick off its 143rd season and 10th year under head coach P.J. Fleck. While we knew what opponents the Gophers played at home and away from Minneapolis for a while now. We finally learned when Minnesota will play those opponents when...
This August, the Minnesota Golden Gophers football team will kick off its 143rd season and 10th year under head coach P.J. Fleck. While we knew what opponents the Gophers played at home and away from Minneapolis for a while now. We finally learned when Minnesota will play those opponents when the Big Ten Conference released its schedule this past Tuesday. There is still a lot of time between now and the start of the 2026 season, which gives teams the opportunity to develop and figure out what kind of team they have till then. Out of the 10 Power Four opponents the Gophers face, three of them have new head coaches, while six out of the 10 will have a new starting QB under center. But now that we know the full schedule for Minnesota. Let’s do an early list of their toughest matchups next year. I will update this before the season when we know a little more about Minnesota and their opponents.
Let’s rank the 2025 schedule from the toughest games to the easiest.
1. @ Indiana, October 31st
For the third year in a row, Minnesota gets to play against the defending National Champion at their homefield. Who would have thought five years ago we would be putting Indiana at the top of this list? But here we are. Indiana has lost talent across the team, but it would be unwise to doubt Curt Cignetti’s ability to rebuild.
2. @ Washington, September 26th
The Washington Huskies’ 22-game home winning streak at Husky Stadium was finally broken by then No.1 Ohio State this past September. You can expect many Gophers fans to make the trip out west for this late-September game. Although he tried to leave, Desmond Williams Jr is back at under center for Washington. This is a tough place to play to open conference play for Minnesota
3. Iowa, October 24th
I really don’t care how much or how little they return this upcoming season. If Kirk Ferentz is still the coach, Iowa will always be near the top of this list. The good news is that the Gophers have a bye before this game; the bad news is that Iowa does.
4. @ Penn State, November 14th
I sure wish Minnesota had Penn State earlier in the schedule. You must think this game could be easier while new coach Matt Campbell gets comfortable in Happy Valley. Could this game be the famous “White Out”? I don’t think so, that should go to USC on October 10th. But either way, Happy Valley is always a tough place for anybody, and this game will be the fourth week in a row for Minnesota.
5. Michigan, October 3rd
I really have no idea what to expect from this Michigan team next season. I do know that Kyle Wittingham is one heck of a coach, and you should expect Michigan to be ready to play when they visit Minneapolis. QB Bryce Underwood returns for the Wolverines, and Michigan fans are hoping he takes a big leap this upcoming year.
6. @ Wisconsin, November 28th
Per tradition, the Gophers will conclude their season playing for Paul Bunyan’s Axe. For the fourth time in four years, Luke Fickell will have a new starting QB under center. This year, it is Colton Joseph from Old Dominion, whom the Badgers heavily pursued in the portal. The team overall should be improved; it’s more about staying healthy and finding an identity under Fickell.
7. Mississippi State, September 12th
A game that was scheduled back in 2016, Mississippi State will be the first team from the SEC to play in Huntington Bank Stadium. This game is the first game of a home-and-home series between the Bulldogs and Gophers. The Bulldogs are not sure who will be their starter under center heading into the spring. Mississippi State lost seven of its last eight games in 2025. Be curious to see what kind of team shows up in Minneapolis in the fall.
8. @ Purdue, October 10th
This game will be the fifth game in a row for Minnesota before they enter a much-needed bye week. With the Gophers playing Washington and Michigan before Purdue, you have to think this game is important for gauging this team as they enter the bye. This game could mean they enter it with a 4-2 or 3-3 record.
9. Northwestern, November 21st
This game from last year still haunts me, and I am sure the Gophers have not forgotten about it either. Which will give the seniors plenty of motivation as they play the Wildcats in their last home game for Minnesota. The Wildcats made a huge splash this offseason by hiring Chip Kelly as their offensive coordinator. That’s a sentence I thought I would never type.
10. UCLA, November 7th
The Bruins come into town with a new coach in Bob Chesney, but QB Nico Iamaleava returns for UCLA and has shown that anything can happen with him on the field. The Bruins shouldn’t be horrible next year, but they also shouldn’t be great. Who knows what kind of team they will be in November?
11. Akron, September 19th
After playing Mississippi State, the Gophers will finish their non-conference schedule when Akron from the MAC conference comes into town. This will be the second year in a row that the Zips travel to play a Big Ten opponent. They lost to Nebraska 0-68 last year in Lincoln.
12. Eastern Illinois, September 3rd
The Gophers will open their season on Thursday Night when the Panthers from Eastern Illinois come to town. The Panthers lost their last seven games last year but were close in a few ranked FCS games. This game shouldn’t be that tough for the Gophers.
