Can the Gophers capitalize on a home-heavy schedule?

A nonconference trip to the Bay Area. A first-time visit to a power in the Pacific Northwest. And a game in one of baseball’s famous venues. All three are part of the 2025 Gophers football schedule, which sees coach P.J. Fleck and his team trying to build off last year’s bounce-back campaign that ended with an 8-5 record.

Here’s a look at what awaits the Gophers:

The skinny: This is not a typical MAC snack for the Gophers, who face a Buffalo team that went 9-4 last year with a win over Liberty in the Bahamas Bowl. The Bulls are picked to finish fourth in the Mid-American Conference in the coaches’ poll, and they return 10 starters on defense, led by LB Red Murdock (156 tackles in 2024). Former Penn State and Kansas State backup Ta’Quan Roberson takes over at QB.

Did you know? Buffalo was the Gophers’ opponent for Fleck’s first game as Minnesota’s coach. The Gophers beat the Bulls 17-7 in the 2017 opener as Tyler Johnson caught six passes for 141 yards and a TD.

Gophers win probability: 75% | Coach P.J. Fleck is 5-1 against MAC teams as Minnesota’s coach. The one loss: 14-10 to Bowling Green as a 31-point favorite in 2021. That should be reason enough to not overlook a MAC team.

The skinny: The Demons, who play at the FCS level, have endured tough times the past two years, going 0-12 last year and losing by an average score of 45-12. In 2023, they went 0-6 and canceled their final six games after safety Ronnie Caldwell was killed in an off-campus shooting and coach Brad Laird resigned.

Did you know? Northwestern State last won a football game on Nov. 5, 2022, in a 41-14 romp over Texas A&M-Commerce. The Demons are 0-20 since.

The skinny: The Gophers are making their first trip to Berkeley since 2006, when they absorbed a 42-17 drubbing from the No. 22 Golden Bears. Now a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference after the Pac-12’s breakup, Cal is coming off back-to-back 6-7 seasons under coach Justin Wilcox and is picked by ACC media to finish 15th in the 17-team league. The Bears suffered massive losses to the transfer portal, including starting quarterback Fernando Mendoza (Indiana), top rushers Jaivian Thomas (UCLA) and Jaydn Ott (Oklahoma), and top pass-rusher Beau Atkinson (North Carolina).

Did you know? Competing for Cal’s quarterback job are Ohio State transfer Devin Brown and freshman Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, a four-star recruit and transfer from Oregon.

Gophers win probability: 60%. Under Fleck, the Gophers are 3-2 in regular-season nonconference games against Power Four opponents. They lost to North Carolina the past two seasons but should have enough talent to beat a decimated Cal team.

The skinny: Bring on Kaliakmanis Bowl II. It’s the Gophers vs. quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis, who struggled in 2023 as Minnesota’s starter, then transferred to Rutgers. Kaliakmanis got the upper hand last year when the Scarlet Knights beat the Gophers 26-19 in Piscataway, N.J. Rutgers coach Greg Schiano made it clear that Kaliakmanis has the keys to the offense. “He has become a leader of our program,” Schiano said. “This is definitely his football team.”

Did you know? Robb Smith, who was fired as Gophers defensive coordinator by Fleck during the 2018 season, is back with Rutgers as co-defensive coordinator.

The skinny: The Buckeyes showed last year that they don’t need to win the Big Ten to win the national championship. Ohio State, which finished fourth in the regular-season standings, rolled through the College Football Playoff to win its ninth national title. A 10th could be in play if either Julian Sayin or Lincoln Kienholz adequately replaces Will Howard at quarterback. The Buckeyes boast the nation’s top wide receiver in Jeremiah Smith. Linebacker Sonny Styles and safety Caleb Downs lead a reloading defense.

Did you know? The Gophers have won twice at Ohio Stadium in the past 75 years: 27-0 in 1949 and 29-17 in 2000.

Gophers win probability: 15%. Minnesota has lost 13 in a row to the Buckeyes by an average score of 37-15. To buck that trend, a wild card like Gophers safety/return man Koi Perich might need to have a huge game.

The skinny: For their Homecoming game, the Gophers face a rebuilding Boilermakers squad that replaced coach Ryan Walters with Barry Odom after Walters’ two-year stint ended with a 5-19 record. Odom guided both Missouri and UNLV to back-to-back bowl games, and he’ll need patience in West Lafayette. Expect heavy doses of running back Devin Mockobee as Purdue seeks offensive consistency.

Did you know? The Boilermakers brought in 54 players via the transfer portal this offseason and saw 56 leave.

The skinny: The rise of the Gophers in the Big Ten has coincided with the fall of the Cornhuskers. Fleck is 6-1 against Nebraska, and Minnesota has finished ahead of Nebraska in the Big Ten standings five times and tied with the Huskers twice in that span. QB Dylan Raiola benefitted from coach Matt Rhule’s late-season addition of Dana Holgorsen as primary play-caller. Fleck sees the Huskers as a tough out this year. “One of the most dangerous teams in the Big Ten is Nebraska,” Fleck said. “… He’s awakening it, that’s for sure."

Did you know? Nebraska beat Boston College 20-15 in the Pinstripe Bowl last season for its first bowl win and winning season since 2016.

Gophers win probability: 50%. Don’t be surprised if this Friday night game comes down to a late field goal, as it did in 2023 when Dragan Kesich’s walk-off 47-yarder lifted the Gophers.

The skinny: The Gophers have made their border rivalry against Wisconsin competitive, winning four of the past seven meetings. They’re still trying to balance the Iowa series, but they did emerge from Kinnick Stadium with a 12-10 win in 2023. Still, Iowa has won nine of 10. The Hawkeyes have been offensively challenged at times, but they should get a boost at QB from South Dakota State transfer Mark Gronowski, who led the Jackrabbits to two FCS championships.

Did you know? Five of the past eight meetings in this series have been decided by seven points or fewer.

The skinny: The Gophers will welcome old friend Joe Rossi, the former Minnesota defensive coordinator who left after the 2023 season to run the Spartans defense. Minnesota has had the upper hand in this series of late, winning 34-7 in 2022 and 27-12 two years ago. If QB Aidan Chiles finds consistency — he’s had solid reviews in training camp — the Spartans will have upward mobility.

Did you know? The Spartans had only five sacks in Big Ten play last year.

Gophers win probability: 55%. This likely is another toss-up game that will help determine if the Gophers have a good season or a great season.

The skinny: The Gophers will be coming off their second bye week when they face the Ducks in this Friday night game. Minnesota is 3-1 all-time against Oregon and will venture to Eugene for the first time. They’ll find a Ducks team brimming with talent but needing to replace nine starters on offense. End Matayo Uiagalelei leads a big, athletic defense that helped Oregon win the Big Ten championship in its first try. The Ducks, who lost in the playoff quarterfinals to eventual champion Ohio State, have title aspirations and a schedule that’s manageable.

Did you know? The Gophers and Ducks met twice in the Sun Bowl, with Oregon winning 24-20 in 1999 and Minnesota prevailing 31-30 in 2003.

The skinny: What usually would have been a ho-hum trip to Evanston becomes a matchup with an interesting backdrop as the Gophers and Wildcats play in one of baseball’s historic venues. Fans will enjoy Murphy’s Bleachers, the Cubby Bear and Sluggers, et al., before and after the game. The Gophers, though, need to ignore the sideshow and avoid the type of collapse that saw them surrender a 21-point fourth-quarter lead in a 37-34 overtime loss in 2023.

Did you know? Northwestern will open new Ryan Field, an $862 million stadium that will seat 35,000, for the 2026 season.

Gophers win probability: 51%. The Minnesota-Northwestern matchup hasn’t been a slam dunk for the Gophers, who are 3-3 against the Wildcats under Fleck and 10-11 overall against Northwestern since 2000.

The skinny: The Gophers close the regular season with the annual battle for Paul Bunyan’s Axe. The key question here is how well Wisconsin handles its brutally tough 2025 schedule. By the time the Badgers reach Minneapolis, they will have visited Alabama, Michigan, Oregon and Indiana, and will have played host to Iowa, Ohio State and Illinois. Embattled coach Luke Fickell needs his team to develop quickly.

Did you know? The Wisconsin-Minnesota series has been played 134 times. Each team has 63 victories, and the game has ended in a tie eight times.