Ranking the Five Most Anticipated Games on the Gophers' 2026 Schedule

These are the marquee games Minnesota fans will be looking forward to this year.

Oct 25, 2025; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers quarterback Drake Lindsey (5) throws a pass against the Iowa Hawkeyes during the first quarter at Kinnick Stadium. | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

The Gophers' 2026 football schedule was revealed on Big Ten Network on Tuesday. At first glance, it sets up as a relatively favorable opportunity for P.J. Fleck and company to win another 7 or 8 games in the regular season, as has become their standard. And if the Gophers can get off to a hot start, 9 or 10 wins might even be within reach.

Let's rank the five most anticipated games on the slate.

Honorable mention: at Indiana in Week 9 (playing the defending champions is exciting, but that one sets up as a possible blowout loss).

5. vs. Mississippi State (Week 2, Sep. 12)

This will be the first test of the Gophers' legitimacy this fall. Barring a complete disaster, they'll come into this game 1-0 after handling business in the opener against a bad FCS team (Eastern Illinois). Mississippi State should also be 1-0 after getting Louisiana-Monroe in Week 1. It's a big opportunity for Minnesota to make an early statement against an SEC team, even if the Bulldogs were among the worst teams in their conference last season. 2-0 would feel a lot different than 1-1 for the Gophers. It's also the first-ever game between these two programs, which is kind of fun.

4. at Washington (Week 4, Sep. 26)

Two weeks after the Mississippi State game, the Gophers will kick off their conference slate in the Pacific Northwest. This will be the first meeting between the two schools since Washington joined the Big Ten. They last played a home-and-home in 1976 and '77. With the Huskies bringing back quarterback Demond Williams Jr., they'll likely be a force in the Big Ten next year. As for the Gophers, after going winless on the road in 2025, this is an early chance for them to pull off an upset away from home. Minnesota has to find a way to win at least one of its first two games against power-conference foes. If they can emerge from this one 4-0, a special season could perhaps be in store.

Demond Williams Jr. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

3. at Wisconsin (Week 13, Nov. 28)

The rivalry game against the Badgers in the final week of the regular season will always be one that Minnesota fans circle on the schedule. The Gophers won this past year on a snowy day in Minneapolis to keep the Axe for a second straight year and take a 64-63-8 lead in the all-time series. And after losing 11 straight games in Madison from 1996-2016, the Gophers have won two in a row and three of their last four at Camp Randall. This year, Minnesota will have a chance to win three straight road games over Wisconsin for the first time since 1944-48.

2. vs. Michigan (Week 5, Oct. 3)

The Gophers' first Big Ten home game of the year is a big one against a program that has absolutely dominated them for decades and decades. Michigan is 44-4 in the last 48 games in this series, making it a ridiculously lopsided "rivalry" series. But this might just be an opportunity for the Gophers to pick up their first home win against the Wolverines since 1977. After firing Sherrone Moore, Michigan is entering Year 1 under Kyle Whittingham, which could come with some ups and downs. It would be quite the overdue achievement if Fleck can get his hands on the Little Brown Jug for the first time.

Bryce Underwood | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

1. vs. Iowa (Week 8, Oct. 24)

After the Washington and Michigan games comes a winnable trip to Purdue, followed by the Gophers' well-timed bye week, which cuts the schedule directly in half. That gives Minnesota two weeks to prepare for what might be the biggest game of the year, when Iowa comes to Minneapolis for the Floyd of Rosedale game to kick off the second half of the Gophers' season. Fleck has only beaten the Hawkeyes once, and the Gophers will be out for revenge after getting utterly demolished 41-3 in Iowa City this past fall. If Minnesota can manage to go 5-1 or at least 4-2 in the first half, this will be a huge game after the bye. A loss would quite possibly turn into two straight defeats, since the trip to face Indiana is the week after this one.

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