P.J. Fleck doesn’t need much convincing about the value of a Thursday night opener. For him, it’s become part of the Minnesota rhythm - the State Fair, students arriving on campus, and a season kicking off under the lights at Huntington Bank Stadium.
As the Gophers finish fall camp and turn toward their Sept. 3 meeting with Eastern Illinois, Fleck made it clear Monday that he sees the timing as more than just a scheduling quirk.
"I think it’s what Minnesota is all about. You’re tying the Thursday night game into the State Fair, just the pride people have of living in Minnesota," Fleck said Monday.
"Our students haven’t started school yet, so all the freshmen are there. It’s one of the best events of the year, it brings our entire community together."
Minnesota has leaned into that setup before, with Fleck regularly guiding his team to a Thursday night season opener. He’s 6-3 in those games at Minnesota, with losses to North Carolina, Ohio State and Michigan.
The opener arrives with the Gophers still being overlooked nationally. Their over/under win total sits at 6.5, and while the defense brings back plenty of talent, the direction of the season figures to be tied closely to quarterback Drake Lindsey.
Lindsey enters his second year as the full-time starter after guiding Minnesota to an 8-5 record last season as a redshirt freshman. He finished with 2,382 passing yards, 18 touchdowns and six interceptions. His offseason included the death of his grandfather and a May arrest for underage drinking and having a fake ID at an Arkansas bar.
Still, Fleck said Lindsey has made major strides.
"Drake has grown maybe the most of anybody on this football team. He has huge expectations for himself, but he understands the transparency of what he has to do to grow and get better," Fleck said.
The Gophers are also preparing for another season with Fleck in the center of it all. Year 10 is here, and he enters it as the second longest-tenured head coach in the Big Ten. His Minnesota record stands at 66-44 overall, 39-40 in conference play and 7-0 in bowl games.
Asked Monday what he’d tell his 35-year-old self about coaching, Fleck kept it light.
"I don’t think the 32-year-old would listen to the 45-year-old," Fleck joked. "It’d be interesting if those two met, what kind of conversation they’d have."
Minnesota opens the 2026 season Thursday against Eastern Illinois, the first of three straight non-conference home games.