Minnesota Gopher fans are cautiously optimistic for the upcoming season and for a good reason. The Gophers kick off the season with Athan Kaliakmanis, who has taken over for Tanner Morgan, and Western Michigan transfer Sean Tyler, who has taken over for running back Mohamed Ibrahim. On the sidelines, Greg Harbaugh is the new co-offensive coordinator and will work with his fellow co-offensive coordinator Matt Simon to lead a more balanced offense.
Can the Minnesota Gophers Match Last Year’s Win Total?
The new look Minnesota Gophers are not alone. Four of the Gopher’s Big Ten West opponents – Wisconsin, Purdue, Nebraska, and Northwestern – have new head coaches. Additionally, at least nine other Big Ten teams will have a new starting quarterback this season. It also seems a larger crop of long-time Big Ten players have entered the transfer portal or moved on to the NFL.
In addition to the personnel changes, the Gophers must deal with a tough schedule this season. They play a challenging non-conference game at North Carolina, divisional cross-over games against Michigan, Michigan State, and Ohio State, and still play rivals Wisconsin and Iowa.
Do the Gophers have the ability to win 10 games and make a run at the Big Ten West title? Absolutely. But there is also a scenario in which they win five games and miss out on a bowl game. The Minnesota Gophers’ schedule and new personnel will make it difficult to match last season’s nine-game win total.
Here are the game-by-game predictions for the 2023 Minnesota Gophers schedule.
Week 1 vs. Nebraska (8/31)
Matt Rhule makes his Big Ten debut against the Minnesota Gophers at Huntington Bank Stadium. Rhule is tasked with turning around a Cornhusker team that went 4-8 last season. Jeff Sims, the former Georgia Tech quarterback, will start for Nebraska, while the Gophers kick off the Athan Kaliakmanis era as the starter. The Gophers’ depth and experience will prove too much for the Cornhuskers.
Projection: Gophers win 27-13
Week 2 vs. Eastern Michigan (9/9)
The Gophers take on Eastern Michigan at Huntington Bank Stadium in their second consecutive game of the season. The Eagles went 9-4 in 2022, including a bowl game victory over San Jose State. Chris Creighton hopes to build on the past season’s success, but his team will be overmatched in all three phases of the game. The Gophers will dominate the Eagles and cruise to an easy victory.
Projection: Gophers win 48-9
Week 3 at North Carolina (9/16)
Minnesota heads to Chapel Hill for the season’s first away game, and this one won’t be easy. Tarheel quarterback Drake Maye finished 10th in the Heisman voting last season and is expected to be a finalist again this year. North Carolina averaged over 34 points per game last season but ranked 102nd in points against. Expect a high-scoring but close game, with Gophers losing their first game of the season.
Projection: Gophers lose 31-34
Week 4 at Northwestern (9/23)
Northwestern had a miserable Summer, and its football season likely won’t get any better. Interim coach David Braun, who just arrived from North Dakota State, has a tall task to improve on last season’s 1-11 record. Northwestern returns 56% of its offensive starters and 66% of its defensive starters, which ranked 96th in FBS in returning production. The Gophers will rebound from a Week 3 loss with a dominant performance.
Projection: Gophers win 44-3
Week 5 vs. Louisiana-Lafayette (9/30)
The Gophers’ game against Louisiana-Lafayette is their last non-conference game before heading full bore into the Big Ten schedule. The Ragin’ Cajuns finished with a 6-6 regular season record and lost to Houston in the Independence Bowl. Early last season, they beat Eastern Michigan, the Gophers 2023 Week 2 opponent, 49-21. Louisiana-Lafayette had a solid defense last season, which ranked 37th in the country.
Projection: Gophers win 41-10
Week 6 vs. Michigan (10/7)
Michigan is favored to win the Big Ten and will likely be one of the top teams in college football. Jim Harbaugh’s Wolverines have been dominant in the last two seasons. They have a 25-3 record, won the Big Ten twice, beat rival Ohio State twice, and made it to the college football playoffs twice. As Michigan makes a run at another playoff appearance, the Wolverines will take care of business when they play the Gophers.
Projection: Gophers lose 16-38
Week 7 – Bye Week (10/14)
The bye week comes at an excellent time for the Gophers, who can recover from the Michigan game while getting extra preparation for Iowa. In Week 8, Iowa plays the Badgers in Madison, so this opponent won’t be as rested as the Gophers will be heading into Week 9.
Week 8 at Iowa (10/21)
The Hawkeyes have beaten the Gophers eight consecutive times, and Kirk Ferentz is set on making it nine in a row. Iowa will rely on former Michigan quarterback Cade McNamara, but with Brian Ferentz calling plays, the offense will likely make little progress. Iowa has 49% of its defensive player production returning, the lowest in the Big Ten. Expect a less stout Hawkeye defense and the Gophers to break Iowa’s consecutive-game streak.
Projection: Gophers win 19-13
Week 9 vs. Michigan State (10/28)
The Gophers play an opponent coming off a tough conference game for the second consecutive week. Michigan State plays cross-state rival Michigan in Week 8, which will likely be a one-sided Wolverine victory. Minnesota had a strong showing against Mel Tucker’s team last season, and expect more of the same at Huntington Bank Stadium.
Projection: Gophers win 27-13
Week 10 vs. Illinois (11/4)
Minnesota should be 6-2 heading into this game and likely will be favored to win, but this has the making of a trap game. Bret Bielema’s Illini are coming off a bye week and have beaten the Gophers the past two years. Bielema knows how to beat this team, and Minnesota fans might be in for a surprise when Illinois comes to Huntington Bank Stadium.
Projection: Gophers lose 21-24
Week 11 at Purdue (11/11)
Despite winning the Big Ten West last season, Purdue appears to be in rebuilding mode. Former head coach Jeff Brohm has moved on to Louisville, and former quarterback Aidan O’Connell is on the Las Vegas Raiders. Brohm, an offensive-minded coach, has been replaced by former Illinois defensive coordinator Ryan Walters. The Boilermakers will likely regress this season, and the Gophers will take advantage of it.
Projection: Gophers win 31-17
Week 12 at Ohio State (11/18)
The last time the Gophers played Ohio State, former Buckeye quarterback C.J. Stroud passed for 294 yards and four touchdowns. Stroud is now in the NFL, but Ohio State has a strong pipeline of four and five-star talent. The Gophers play Ohio State the week before the Buckeyes take on Michigan in the last game of the season. Ohio State too talented for the Gophers, but expect them to rest some starters late in the game.
Projection: Gophers lose 17-42
Week 13 vs. Wisconsin (11/25)
The regular season wraps up with the highly anticipated game against Wisconsin for Paul Bunyan’s Axe. The series is tied 62-62-8, but the Gophers have beaten the Badgers the last two times they played. The Badgers’ new head coach Luke Fickell is expected to install a contemporary, high-scoring offense like he used in Cincinnati to complement a stout defense. The Gophers will play Wisconsin close, but the Badgers will go home with the Axe.
Projection: Gophers lose 16-27
Minnesota Gophers’ Season Predictions
- Record: 7-5
- Points For: 338
- Points/Game: 28.2
- Points Against: 242
- Opponent Points Against/Game: 20.2
Photo courtesy: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
