Gophers football announces 6 start times for 2025 season, 2 on FOX 9

P.J. Fleck doused with mayo after Gophers win Duke's Mayo Bowl 24-10

Gophers coach P.J. Fleck got doused with mayonnaise after the Minnesota beat Virginia Tech 24-10 in the Duke's Mayo Bowl Friday night. FOX 9's Pierre Noujaim got instant reaction from Fleck after the mayo bath.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The University of Minnesota football team now knows start times for half of its 2025 regular season games, as the Big Ten Conference and television partners announced a slate on Thursday.

2025 opener on FOX Sports 1

What we know:

The Gophers will open the 2025 regular season under the lights at Huntington Bank Stadium, against Buffalo in non-conference play on Thursday, Aug. 28. The game will kick off at 7 p.m. and will air on FOX Sports 1.

The Gophers continue their tradition of opening the football season on the second Thursday of the Minnesota State Fair.

At least 2 games on FOX 9

Why you should care:

• The Gophers will host Nebraska at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 17, a game you can watch on FOX 9.
• The Gophers head west to face Oregon at 8 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 14, a game you can watch on FOX 9.

The schedule so far

Big picture view:

Here’s what we know about the 2025 regular season schedule so far for dates, times and TV:

• Buffalo – Thursday, Aug. 28, 7 p.m. (FOX Sports 1)
• Northwestern State – Saturday, Sept. 6, 11 a.m. (Big Ten Network)
• @ California – Saturday, Sept. 13, 9:30 p.m. (ESPN)
• Nebraska – Friday, Oct. 17, 7 p.m., (FOX 9)
• @ Oregon – Friday, Nov. 14, 8 p.m. (FOX 9)

The times and TV for the other six games will be announced at a later date.

Fleck enters Year 9 at Minnesota

Dig deeper:

P.J. Fleck was hired as the Gophers’ head coach in 2017, replacing Tracy Claeys. In eight seasons, he’s 56-39 overall and 33-36 in Big Ten play. The Gophers are also 6-0 in bowl games under Fleck. They finished 8-5 last season and beat Virginia Tech in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl as Fleck celebrated with a full-on mayonnaise bath.