Gophers will use 'scientific data' to handle cross-country road trip to Cal

Minnesota will have a late-night kick-off in Week 3 against the Golden Bears.

Sep 6, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck looks on before the game against the Northwestern State Demons at Huntington Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Driving from Minneapolis, Minnesota, to Berkeley, California, would take well over 24 hours. Lucking for the Gophers, they're fortunate enough to fly to this week's game against the Golden Bears. They'll still face their fair share of challenges with a 9:30 p.m. CT kickoff.

Minnesota had a similar experience last season when it traveled to UCLA, but that game kicked off at 8 p.m. CT. You would have to go all the way back to 2019 against Fresno State for the last time the Gophers had a 9:30 p.m. CT kickoff.

"There's a lot of scientific data, based on — not saying we're staying on central time, I am saying it's all about our bodies, where we are on the central time. Looking at the time we play," Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck told the media on Monday. "When we actually go out there, there are different places that we'll go where we'll actually keep it on central time. When we actually land, we will be on Pacific time with their phones."

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Fleck typically leaves no stone unturned when it comes to preparing his team for road trips. Minnesota's trip to Berkeley in Week 3 will be its first time playing at California Memorial Stadium since 2006.

"There's a lot of things it does with your brain, and your mind, and your mindset. We're talking about — we're still going out there on Friday, so on your body, how you train all week to make sure you can have the best performance you possibly can from 9:30 on your body naturally to 1 a.m. on your body naturally," Fleck continued. "You don't have the bye week to prepare for that either, so you go right into it. You do the best you possibly can to prepare for it, and then you go out and hopefully play your best football."

When things kick off on Saturday night at 9:30 p.m. CT on ESPN, the Gophers' preparation will be put to the test against a 2-0 Cal team that should provide them with their first real test of the season.