Minnesota’s 2025 season will be defined by its final two games

The Gophers have two opportunities to rewrite their 2025 story.

Minnesota wide receiver Javon Tracy, left, outruns Oregon defensive back Ify Obidegwu on his way to a touchdown as the Oregon Ducks host the Minnesota Golden Gophers on Nov. 14, 2025, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

After 10 games, the Gophers are 6-4 and bowl-eligible for the fifth-straight season, but it feels like whether the 2025 season is a success or not will hinge on their final two regular-season games.

The Gophers have won at least one road game in every season under P.J. Fleck. After losing to Cal, Ohio State, Iowa and Oregon by an average of 29.8 points, they will have one last chance on the road this week against Northwestern at Wrigley Field. If Minnesota finishes 7-5 with all seven wins coming at Huntington Bank Stadium, it's hard to ignore that the season wouldn't feel at least a little empty.

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Rivalries are what make college football the sport it is. The Gophers have two annual regular-season games that will always feel more important than the rest, which are showdowns with Iowa and Wisconsin. They have a 41-3 beatdown in Iowa City sticking out on their 2025 resume like a sore thumb, which makes the final regular-season game against the Badgers feel that much more important.

Fleck has won at least one of Paul Bunyan's Axe or Floyd of Rosedale in each of the last four seasons. Even if Minnesota beats its preseason win total at 7-5, leaving 2025 without either rivalry trophy feels like it would be a huge blemish on a coaching staff's resume in year nine of their tenure.

The Gophers had the same 6-4 record at this point of the season in 2024. They ended the season with a one-point loss at home against No. 4 Penn State and a 24-7 beatdown against Wisconsin on the road.

If Minnesota takes care of business against Northwestern and handles Wisconsin for the fourth time in five years, it's fair to think the season will feel like a success. But how likely is it for that to happen? The Gophers have looked abysmal on the road, and they've out-gained one Power Conference opponent in total yards at home this season in four tries.

At one point this year, Northwestern and Wisconsin looked like two of the easiest games on the schedule, but they now both present their own challenges. Fortunately for the Gophers, they will have the opportunity to prove themselves on the field. It might not seem like two marquee matchups, but they still have plenty to play for on the final two games of the season.