Minnesota Golden Gophers
Big Ten··0-0
0 followers
Elo
1516
#66
SP+
1.5
#70
O94/D33
FPI
1.1
SRS
0.7
AP
NR
2026 Season Projection
model win prob · 11 to play4.6 – 6.4
projected final record (now 0–0)
Exp. wins left
4.6
of 11 games
Bowl odds
24%
reach 6 wins
Best odds
92%
vs Akron
Toughest
0%
vs Indiana
💬Minnesota Board
Show discussion →Team Statistics · per game, with national FBS rank
Offense
Total yards / game
293.4#129
Yards / play
4.9#122
Passing yards / game
189.9#102
Rushing yards / game
103.5#129
First downs / game
17.1#123
3rd down %
40.1%#65
4th down %
42.9%#116
Time of possession
29:23#86
Defense
Yards allowed / game
332.2#34
Yards / play allowed
5.5#56
Pass yards allowed / game
210.5#51
Rush yards allowed / game
121.7#28
3rd down % allowed
40.4%#85
Sacks
39#8
Tackles for loss
92#11
Turnovers & Discipline
Turnover margin
+7#21
Takeaways
16#67
Giveaways
9#5
Penalties / game
3.8#6
Penalty yards / game
31.0#5
Rank is national among all FBS teams (#1 = best), oriented so higher rank = better even for defensive and discipline metrics. Bars show percentile.
Advanced analytics
Opponent-adjusted advanced stats aren't available for 2026 yet — they populate a few weeks into the season.
Schedule & Results
2026 Recruiting Class
Commits
21
Avg stars
3.24
Avg rating
0.8750
5 4★16 3★
| Recruit | Pos | Stars | Rtg | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Howie Johnson#204 nat'l | DL | ★★★★★ | 0.9235 | Forest Lake, MN |
| Aaden Aytch#208 nat'l | EDGE | ★★★★★ | 0.9228 | Lafayette, IN |
| Roman Voss#332 nat'l | ATH | ★★★★★ | 0.9025 | Jackson, MN |
| Ryan Estrada#347 nat'l | RB | ★★★★★ | 0.9007 | El Paso, TX |
| Andrew Trout#385 nat'l | OT | ★★★★★ | 0.8967 | Cold Spring, MN |
| Justin Hopkins#474 nat'l | S | ★★★★★ | 0.8889 | Nashville, TN |
| Hudson Dunn#622 nat'l | LB | ★★★★★ | 0.8794 | Peoria, AZ |
| Chance Payne#1131 nat'l | CB | ★★★★★ | 0.8689 | Jefferson, GA |
| Hayden Moore#1158 nat'l | WR | ★★★★★ | 0.8678 | Newberry, FL |
| Owen Lansu#1227 nat'l | QB | ★★★★★ | 0.8667 | Downers Grove, IL |
| Niko Castillo#1227 nat'l | ATH | ★★★★★ | 0.8667 | Schuylkill Haven, PA |
| Ezekiel Bates#1227 nat'l | RB | ★★★★★ | 0.8667 | Malvern, PA |
| Brady Palmer#1274 nat'l | QB | ★★★★★ | 0.8656 | San Diego, CA |
| Josiah Anyansi#1396 nat'l | EDGE | ★★★★★ | 0.8633 | Murrieta, CA |
| Lucas Tielsch#1396 nat'l | OT | ★★★★★ | 0.8633 | Akron, OH |
| Angel Luciano#1211 nat'l | LB | ★★★★★ | 0.8617 | Steelton, PA |
| Beckett Schreiber#1465 nat'l | OT | ★★★★★ | 0.8611 | Madison, WI |
| Braiden Stevens#1500 nat'l | WR | ★★★★★ | 0.8600 | Platte City, MO |
| Trason Richardson#1722 nat'l | S | ★★★★★ | 0.8556 | Rosharon, TX |
| George Rohl#2145 nat'l | TE | ★★★★★ | 0.8467 | Ellsworth, WI |
| Jeremiah Benson#2163 nat'l | DL | ★★★★★ | 0.8456 | West Bloomfield, MI |
Program History
recent seasons| Year | Overall | Conf | Win % | xW | Luck |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 8-5 | 5-4 | 62% | 5.4 | +2.6 |
| 2024 | 8-5 | 5-4 | 62% | 8.2 | -0.2 |
| 2023 | 6-7 | 3-6 | 46% | 6.3 | -0.3 |
| 2022 | 9-4 | 5-4 | 69% | 9.7 | -0.7 |
| 2021 | 9-4 | 6-3 | 69% | 10.1 | -1.1 |
| 2020 | 3-4 | 3-4 | 43% | 3.3 | -0.3 |
| 2019 | 11-2 | 7-2 | 85% | 10.2 | +0.8 |
| 2018 | 7-6 | 3-6 | 54% | 7.1 | -0.1 |
| 2017 | 5-7 | 2-7 | 42% | 4.9 | +0.1 |
| 2016 | 9-4 | 5-4 | 69% | 9.1 | -0.1 |
xW = expected wins from per-game dominance. Luck = actual − expected (positive = won close games).