The return of Minnesota Golden Gopher football is almost upon us!
It won’t officially be back until I’m shaking my head as the Gophers fall behind 3-0 in the first quarter during Thursday’s season opener against Eastern Illinois, but for now, we have predictions for the season.
As per usual, I would not expect perfection here. You should not use this to post to make betting, legal, or medical decisions. You are free to point and laugh, though.
Week 1: Eastern Illinois Panthers
TDG Confidence Level: 100% (7 out of 7 predict a win)
Week 2: Mississippi State Bulldogs
TDG Confidence Level: 100%
Week 3: Akron Zips
TDG Confidence Level: 100%
Week 4: @ Washington Huskies
TDG Confidence Level: 43%
Week 5: Michigan Wolverines
TDG Confidence Level: 43%
Week 6: @ Purdue Boilermakers
TDG Confidence Level: 100%
Week 7: BYE
Week 8: Iowa Hawkeyes
TDG Confidence Level: 43%
Week 9: @ Indiana Hoosiers
TDG Confidence Level: 14%
Week 10: UCLA Bruins
TDG Confidence Level: 86%
Week 11: @ Penn State Nittany Lions
TDG Confidence Level: 14%
Week 12: Northwestern Wildcats
TDG Confidence Level: 100%
Week 13: @ Wisconsin Badgers
TDG Confidence Level: 100%
Full TDG Staff Predictions
Staff Commentary
Blake: They’ll start the season 4-0, capped by a surprise road win over Washington, before laying an egg against Michigan at home the following week, losing three of four. But a 3-1 finish over the final month salvages P.J. Fleck’s first 8-win regular season since 2022.
Andy: A bit optimistic, maybe? I can see the Gophers upsetting Michigan and winning the Jug. I’m not sure the Wolverines will be fully clicking by then, and they play Iowa the week before to open conference play. The Iowa is at home for the Gophers, so I think that makes the difference. If it was in Iowa City, I’d pick a loss. And then there has to be the one stupid P.J. Fleck loss in there somewhere. I picked it to be UCLA this year, but I suppose as much as it could suck, I could see them losing at Purdue after an upset over Michigan the week before. Do I think Minnesota wins three of four trophy games this year? Probably not. But a guy’s got to hope, right?
Gopher Nation: I am nervous about all road games, especially Wisconsin. But here’s hoping they have another disastrous season and the limp into our Black Friday matchup. Eight wins is a really nice regular season with this schedule.
Ustreet: Same as every year.
zipsofakron: The Gophers falter on the road at UW with a chance to make it into the Top 25 before fans storm the field after upsetting Michigan. The air is sucked out of the room after another home loss to Iowa, though P.J. rights the ship and finishes strong with another road win in Camp Randall and a long-awaited trip to the Las Vegas Bowl.
mowe0018: The season should follow the usual P.J. Fleck template. Win a bunch of games against mediocre competition and lay an egg against Iowa. Redeem the season by beating the hated Badgers. And get a raise in the off season for mildly appealing results.
WhiteSpeedReceiver: The only games that are more likely than not losses are Iowa and Indiana due to deals with the devil.