How Will The Gophers Fare For The 2026 Football Season? Ben’s Completely Unbiased Season Predictions

Many of you know that I am a Gopher Football rube. I have been regularly attending game for close to twenty years, and graduated from the U of M in 2016. College football is my favorite sport, and the Gophers are the team I follow the closest in this market.

PJ Fleck is going into year 10 and I have made it no secret that I think he is a solid coach for the Gophers (Click here to read my recent blog outlining the success he is having despite the Gophers poor NIL funding). Yes, at the end of every year it always feels like there’s a little meat left on the bone, which can be frustrating. But he has raised the floor of the program. He’s elevating recruiting. And it feels like this program has a little momentum going into the 2026 season.

So let’s go game-by-game and see how I think the Gophers are going to fare in 2026.

Week 1: vs. Eastern Illinois

From everything I’m reading, Eastern Illinois is not expected to be very good in the FCS. I like that the Gophers are opening their season against a team like this to work out some rust, which is typical for the Gophers in their first game. I think the Gophers will take care of business easily, but they won’t have a big enough blowout in the eyes of the Gopher observers who will make sure to voice their criticism.

Prediction: Gophers 34, Eastern Illinois 6 (1-0)

Week 2: Gophers vs. Mississippi State

There’s a ton of hype for this game because it’s the first time an SEC team is coming to Minnesota in 60+ years. Unfortunately we’re not getting LSU or Tennessee coming into Huntington Bank Stadium. Instead we’re getting the Purdue of the SEC (sorry Purdue). If Mississippi State didn’t have that SEC patch on their uniform this game wouldn’t have nearly the hype. I think the Gophers pull away in the fourth quarter.

Prediction: Gophers 27, Mississippi State 17 (2-0)

Week 3: Gophers vs. Akron

Unless LeBron James shows up and plays for Akron (not impossible the way the NCAA has operated lately) I expect the Gophers to take care of business pretty handily. That being said, we have struggled to put away MAC teams in the past. I have vague memories of a certain orange and brown MAC team giving the Gophers fits a few years ago…. but I don’t think that happens here.

Prediction: Gophers 37, Akron 20 (3-0)

Week 4: Gophers at Washington

Washington opens up the season ranked #17, and Husky Stadium is not an easy place to play. I also feel like the Gophers are still going to have that “can’t win on the road” monkey on their back from last year, and I’m not sure this is the game where they exorcise those demons. If you’re a Gopher fan going to this game, hopefully you enjoy sailgating.

Prediction: Washington 37, Gophers 17 (3-1, 0-1)

Week 5: Gophers vs. Michigan

I have no idea what to think of Michigan. I think they’re going to fall somewhere between 10-2 and 8-4. Kyle Whittingham is a proven head coach, but will the success he had at Utah translate over to Michigan? Huntington Bank Stadium is a sneaky hard place to play, and with the Little Brown Jug on the line I think this game is going to be a classic battle.

Prediction: Gophers 24, Michigan 23 (4-1, 1-1)

Week 6: Gophers at Purdue

So I know I took a shot at Purdue earlier, but I am a little worried about this game. The Gophers always have a stinker against a lesser team at least once per season under PJ Fleck. They stole a win at home against Purdue last season when he-who-shall-not-be-named got a fourth quarter pick-six. I also recall Purdue doing everything in their power to not win that game by mismanaging the clock and making questionable play calls.. On top of that, I have some of that Minnesota Sports PTSD from the last time the Gophers played at Purdue in 2023, when a very bad Purdue team moved the ball at will and put up 49 points. That being said, I can’t predict the Gophers to lose after taking a shot at Purdue earlier, but I think it will be a close game.

Prediction: Gophers 31, Purdue 27 (5-1, 2-1)

Week 7: Bye Week

Fun fact- the Gophers and Vikings both have byes on the same weekend this year. I told my wife she can plan as many pumpkin patches, apple orchards, and hay rides as she wants this weekend so long as my other football weekends are left alone. I advise you get ahead of it and do the same.

Week 8: Gophers vs. Iowa

Look, I get why Iowa fans call it “Kinnick North.” They’ve had our number at Huntington Bank Stadium under PJ Fleck. And each year that I think Iowa might finally take a step back, like I do this year, they somehow end up 8-4. But the Gophers are due to win Floyd at home. Not that it’s going to be easy, as I’m foreseeing another classic, low-scoring Iowa-Minnesota game. I think Iowa will score a late punt-return touchdown to take the lead, but it will get called back when the refs determine that the returner waved his hand for a fair catch, and the Gophers will hold on to win Floyd.

Prediction: Gophers 20, Iowa 16 (6-1, 3-1)

Week 9: Gophers at Indiana

If there’s one guy in the Big Ten that terrifies me, it’s Curt Cignetti. He reminds me of Michael Jordan in that he’ll find one tiny thing in his opponent to use as motivation and proceed to rip their head off. I wrote an earlier blog about this but I totally expect Indiana to beat Purdue 125-0 this year after what Purdue’s AD said in his opening press conference. So that being said, I expect Cignetti will take one look at PJ’s tie and decide he’s going to make PJ say “uncle.”

Prediction: Indiana 48, Minnesota 10 (6-2, 3-2)

Week 10: Gophers vs. UCLA

Remember when I said there’s always one game the Gophers lose each year that they should have won? Yeah, that’s going to be this one. I couldn’t decide if it was going to be this one or Northwestern, but I think UCLA under Bob Chesney is going to get better each week and find their groove towards the end of the season. I hope it’s single digits, windy, and snowing this game to welcome the Bruins of southern California into Minnesota, but I’m not holding my breath.

Prediction: UCLA 28, Gophers 20 (6-3, 3-3)

Week 11: Gophers at Penn State

Similar to Michigan, I have no idea what to think of Penn State. They could have a gaudy record going into this game due to their easy schedule which will have them playing with confidence and their crowd extra raucous. If this game were to be played at home, I might lean Gophers. But Happy Valley is a tough place to play and I think that will give them the edge.

Prediction: Penn State 35, Gophers 24 (6-4, 3-4)

Week 12: Gophers vs. Northwestern

If my predictions are true, the Gophers will come into this game on a three game losing streak. Good thing Northwestern is coming into town, who somehow have had PJ Fleck’s number in recent years. I have a funny feeling that this game, instead of the UCLA game, is going to be the one where it’s single digits and blowing 30mph. All we need then is for this game to be played on ESPNU with Beth Mowins on the call and it will be right on-brand for a classic Gophers-Wildcats battle.

Prediction: Gophers 17, Northwestern 6 (7-4, 4-4)

Week 13: Gophers at Wisconsin

The Gophers have won the axe four of the last five years. At this point we might need to start referring to the Badgers as “little brother.” Will Luke Fickell even be the Wisconsin coach for this game? Everyone seems to think that they’re going to a bowl game this year because of their schedule but I wouldn’t be so sure. I think Wisconsin will come into this game needing to win to become bowl eligible but big brother isn’t going to let that happen.

Prediction: Gophers 24, Wisconsin 13 (8-4, 5-4)

So there you have it. An eight win season, a winning record in the Big Ten, and three rivalry trophies in Minneapolis when it’s all said and done. I would call that a pretty successful season for PJ Fleck and the Gophers. I hope that would be good enough to get them to the Music City Bowl on New Years Day against an SEC opponent, but I have heard that the Music City Bowl thinks the Gophers have played there too recently (last played there in 2005).

Other predictions: I think PJ Fleck’s name will float around the coaching carousel again but he’ll ultimately stay at Minnesota (sorry Nebraska fans). I think Drake Lindsey will flirt with the NFL but ultimately decide to come back for one more season. And I predict that despite an 8-4 record and three rivalry trophy wins, the Gopher observers will find a reason to criticize the PJ Fleck and the Gophers as usual.