The Minnesota Golden Gophers will begin their 142nd season when they open against Buffalo on August 28th. It will be P.J. Fleck’s ninth season in Dinkytown, as he is looking to win eight games or more for the fifth time in the last six years (not including the COVID season).
There are plenty of reasons to be optimistic for this Gophers team. They have one of the best tailbacks in the country in Darius Taylor. They have an All-American at Safety in Koi Perich, who is looking to make an impact on offense as well. The defensive line should be solid, as every defensive coordinator will be game planning for Anthony Smith. Like most teams, Minnesota does have some question marks heading into the 2025 season. The expansive receivers’ room is young and talented, but somewhat unproven at the Big Ten level. The offensive line has the size and age up front, but how will they gel together as the line will have five new starters at their position?
Vegas thinks the Gophers will be a decent team this year. Depending on where you look, they have Minnesota winning 6 to 7 games this season. This will have them going to a bowl game for the sixth year in a row.
For the first time, I am going to make game predictions for the Gophers football team. I am fully prepared to accept all responsibility for how right or wrong I am with this. For the record, I have no clue what is going to happen with a few of these games. I have gone back and forth with games against Rutgers, Nebraska, and Michigan State. If there is one thing I have learned about Minnesota sports, it is… There are always a few games every year where we shouldn’t have won or lost. So, you never know.
Here are my predictions for the Gophers in 2025.
I will also provide the percentage ESPN Match Predictor gives the Gophers of winning for every game.
Week 1: Buffalo
The Bulls are a good team and should contend for a MAC title this year. They won nine games last year and return a good amount of talent on both sides of the ball. I don’t see the Gophers running away with this one, but I think they pull away late in the game.
Prediction: Minnesota, 27-20
ESPN Matchup Predictor: 92%
Record: 1-0
Week 2: Northwestern State
With all due respect, you won’t find many teams that were worse than Northwestern State over the last few years. The Demons went 0-12 last year and lost several key players to the portal. This is a game where you just worry about getting out of it healthy.
Prediction: Minnesota, 41- 7
ESPN Matchup Predictor: 99%
Record: 2-0
Week 3: at California
The California offense has been hit hard by the transfer portal since last season. It would be easier and faster to list the people who stayed instead of those who left the team. This will be the Gophers’ first road game of the season, and it will be a night game in the Bay Area. I think this is a game where Darius Taylor takes over, and Anthony Smith causes havoc.
Prediction: Minnesota, 24-10
ESPN Matchup Predictor: 57.8%
Record: 3-0
Week 4: Bye
Week 5: Rutgers
The Gophers will have a bye week to prepare for the return of some familiar faces in the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. The story lines for this game are endless, with the amount of connections between the two programs. You can’t help but think that got in the way of Minnesota last year in their loss in New Jersey. According to Phil Steele, this might be one of Greg Schiano’s best teams in his tenure at Rutgers. If it weren’t for the bye week ahead of this game, I would pick Rutgers. But I think the extra time will benefit Minnesota as they prepare for their first Big Ten game.
Prediction: Minnesota, 27-20
ESPN Matchup Predictor: 60%
Record: 4-0
Week 6: at Ohio State
Minnesota heads to Columbus to take on the defending champions. Like Buffalo, this is one of those games where you want to get out of it healthy. The Buckeyes are 48-7 all-time against Minnesota. The last time the Gophers beat Ohio State was back in 2000. I don’t see that changing this year.
Prediction: Ohio State, 41-17
ESPN Matchup Predictor: 10.4%
Record: 4-1
Week 7: Purdue
Hard to find a team that has been overhauled as much as the Boilermakers since last season. It’s going to be interesting to see how it all comes together, but you can’t blame first-year head coach Barry Odom for switching things up. Vegas thinks Purdue is going to be the worst team in the Big Ten this season, with the over/under on their win total being around 2.5. I have the Gophers winning on homecoming this year.
Prediction: Minnesota, 31-10
ESPN Matchup Predictor: 86.2%
Record: 5-1
Week 8: Nebraska
It would not surprise me if the Huskers come into Minneapolis undefeated. Their schedule up until this game is very manageable. This will be a short week for both teams as the game is on Friday night. The Huskers will be playing in Maryland the week before, while Minnesota has a home game. Fleck is 6-1 against the Huskers and has won five straight. Matt Rhule knows what he is doing, and Dylan Raiola should take a step forward. This game is the definition of a “toss-up game.” You won’t get much of an argument from me if you pick Nebraska, but I’ll go with the home team on this one.
Prediction: Minnesota, 24-21
ESPN Matchup Predictor: 47%
Record: 6-1
Week 9: at Iowa
This should be a fun one, considering what happened the last time Minnesota was in Iowa City, when the Gophers won in thanks of an Invalid Signal play that was correctly called two years ago. Iowa has an excellent Iowa-like team this year. Strong in the trenches, great on special teams, and Phil Parker back leading the defense. I have the Gophers falling in Iowa City.
Prediction: Iowa, 30 -16
ESPN Matchup Predictor: 35.6%
Record: 6-2
Week 10: Michigan State
The Spartans return over a dozen starters from a year ago. Head Coach Jonatahan Smith added playmakers via the transfer portal to surround talented QB Aidan Chiles to go along with a strong offensive line. This will be the sixth straight Big Ten game for Minnesota before they head into the bye week. I can’t help but feel this game is a close one where Chiles is too much for the Gophers to overcome. Again, you won’t find much of an argument from me if you pick Minnesota in this one. Give me Michigan State.
Prediction: Michigan State, 28-20
ESPN Matchup Predictor: 69.3%
Record: 6-3
Week 11: Bye Week
Week 12: at Oregon
The Gophers’ most challenging Big Ten games are on the road this year. It’s hard to bet against Dan Lanning and his ability to recruit, develop, and motivate. Hard to bet against Oregon at home, especially on a Friday night game. I expect a lot of Gophers fans to be in attendance.
Prediction: Oregon, 38 – 17
ESPN Matchup Predictor: 14.5%
Record: 6-4
Week 12: at Northwestern
The last road game of the season will take place at Wrigley Field against the Northwestern Wildcats. Vegas projects Northwestern to finish second-to-last in the Big Ten ahead of Purdue. Northwestern will have a new QB in SMU transfer Preston Stone and they will be counting on other transfers to make an impact. I don’t see them having the depth to hang with Minnesota this season.
Prediction: Minnesota, 38 -16
ESPN Matchup Predictor: 59.7%
Record: 7-4
Week 13: Wisconsin
Very curious to see what kind of Wisconsin team will roll into Minneapolis at the end of November. They have the most demanding schedule in the country and are trying not to miss a bowl game for the second year in a row. That hasn’t happened since 1992! The Gophers have won three out of the last four against the Badgers, and I think they defend The Axe at home.
Prediction: Minnesota, 31 – 21
ESPN Matchup Predictor: 53.2%
Record: 8-4
There you have it. I have the Gophers going bowling again. There are three or four games on the schedule that can go both ways, and you won’t get much of an argument from me if you disagree with me. I think the ceiling for this team is 10 wins and the floor is five. Anything in between those numbers is a definite possibility. I am very comfortable with the Vegas thinking they are going to win 6-7 games this year.
Like always, I will revisit these at the end of the season and own up to what I miss.