P.J. Fleck’s Gophers have already given their season some real moments, but the next three games will decide whether 2026 is remembered for those highs or for the chances that slipped away.
Minnesota is 5-4 overall and 3-3 in the Big Ten with three games left, sitting squarely in the middle of the conference picture. That record includes wins over Michigan and Iowa that earned the Little Brown Jug and Floyd of Rosedale a spot in the team’s Hall of Fame room for the next year. It also includes a victory over Washington, giving the Gophers three wins this season against teams that were in the Associated Press Top 25 or the AFCA Coaches Poll when Minnesota played them.
So there has been plenty to celebrate at Huntington Bank Stadium, including field-storming scenes after the wins over the Wolverines and Hawkeyes. But the season still feels unfinished, because the Gophers have let some big opportunities get away.
The last two weeks have been the clearest example.
On Oct. 31, Minnesota had defending national champion Indiana on the ropes.
Luke Drzewiecki drilled a 60-yard field goal with 19 seconds left in the fourth quarter to put the Gophers ahead 16-13, but they could not close it out. Indiana answered with a 33-yard catch by Charlie Becker, which set up Paddy McAteer’s 60-yard field goal to send the game to overtime.
In the extra period, Becker quickly caught the winning touchdown.
Saturday brought another gut punch, this time against No. 5 UCLA at Huntington Bank Stadium.
The Gophers battled back to tie it 17-17 early in the fourth quarter when Drake Lindsey found little-used tight end George Rohl on a 4-yard touchdown pass. But the Bruins needed only one snap to flip the game again, as Aidan Mizell took a pass from Ty Dieffenbach at midfield and raced 75 yards for a touchdown and a 24-17 lead.
Minnesota trimmed the margin with a field goal to make it 24-20 with 7:31 remaining, but UCLA answered right back. Dieffenbach connected with Mizell again, this time for another 75-yard touchdown.
In Other News...
Gophers Get An Early Test That Should Reveal A Lot
Cincinnatis early-season momentum has been steady enough to make this weekends matchup with Minnesota feel like a useful measuring stick for both sides. The Bearcats are 2-0 after an 81-64 win over Green Bay, and coach Jerrod Calhoun said he was pleased with the way his group is progressing as it gets ready to host a Gophers team that has also opened 2-0.
Minnesota arrives with a little confidence of its own after a 76-62 win over St. Thomas, a game that offered encouraging signs from Isaac Asuma and Jaylen Crocker-Johnson. For the Gophers, this is the kind of early test that can reveal where they really stand, especially against a Cincinnati team that has already shown it can handle business at home and is looking to keep building before the schedule gets tougher. [Read more 🡒]
Minnesota Football Has A Bigger Problem Than One Coordinator
Purdues decision to move on from defensive coordinator Kevin Kane after the Maryland loss is the kind of midseason jolt that usually gets attention because it feels immediate and dramatic. For Minnesota, though, the bigger takeaway is less about one coach getting blamed and more about the broader pattern that has followed the program for years, especially on offense, where the Gophers have struggled to find consistent answers even as the staff has tried to patch things together.
Greg Harbaughs unit has become the latest focal point, but the issue runs deeper than one play caller or one bad Saturday. Minnesota has spent too much of the Fleck era fighting the same offensive limitations, and while coaching changes can reset a conversation, they do not automatically fix the underlying trend. That is why the comparison to Purdue matters less as a mirror and more as a warning: one firing may satisfy the moment, but it does not solve a programs bigger problem. [Read more 🡒]
Minnesota Faces Its First Real Test With Plenty To Prove
Minnesotas early unbeaten start gets a much sharper edge this week, with the Gophers set to face Cincinnati in a matchup that should tell a lot more about where this team really stands. Both teams are 2-0, and this one brings the kind of challenge that can either validate an encouraging opening stretch or expose the gaps that have been easy to overlook so far.
The Gophers have looked promising enough to inspire some optimism, especially with their depth and the expectation that one of their guards will deliver a strong night. Still, the margin for error figures to be slim, and Minnesotas best path runs through cleaner possession management and a better answer for Cincinnatis work on the glass. If the Gophers can handle those parts of the game, they should give themselves a real chance to make an early statement. [Read more 🡒]