Gophers bowl game outlook: Purdue loss makes remaining schedule look daunting

After two huge wins to begin conference play, Minnesota suffered one of the most disappointing losses of the P.J. Fleck era against Purdue. We’re not yet at the halfway point of the 2026 regular season. Let’s take a deeper look at the Gophers’ big-picture outlook.

The bowl system might completely change after the 2026 season, but the Gophers have been a shoo-in for a bowl game in seven of the nine seasons under Fleck. They’re still just two wins away from officially earning bowl eligibility this season, and the national projections are interesting.

• On3 (Brett McMurphy): Armed Forces Bowl vs. Army

• ESPN (Mark Schlabach): Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl vs. Virginia Tech
  Advertisement

• ESPN (Kyle Bonagura): No bowl game

• CBS Sports: Music City Bowl vs. LSU

• Athlon (Steve Lassan): First Responder Bowl vs. UTSA

On3 (Brett McMurphy): Armed Forces Bowl vs. Army

ESPN (Mark Schlabach): Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl vs. Virginia Tech

CBS Sports: Music City Bowl vs. LSU

Athlon (Steve Lassan): First Responder Bowl vs. UTSA

With tricky games left against Iowa, Indiana, UCLA, Penn State, Northwestern and Wisconsin, there’s no guarantee that Minnesota will get to six wins this fall. Its overall postseason outlook took a huge hit after losing to Purdue, but the Gophers still control their own destiny.

As frustrating as the Gophers’ loss against Purdue was, they’re still tied for sixth in the Big Ten standings. A 4-2 start to the season with a 2-1 conference record is something many fans would’ve likely taken before the season, but the way it has happened is what makes it deflating.

Indiana and Ohio State will determine who’s truly in the driver’s seat of the conference with a huge game this week in Bloomington. UCLA now has a clear path to the College Football Playoff in Year 1 under Bob Chesney, while Oregon, USC, Wisconsin, Iowa, Nebraska and Northwestern are still lurking.

• 1. Ohio State

• 2. Indiana

• 3. UCLA

• 4. Iowa

• 5. Northwestern

• 6. Oregon

• 7. Nebraska

• 8. USC

• 9. Wisconsin

• 10. Purdue

• 11. Minnesota

• 12. Michigan

• 13. Penn State

• 14. Illinois

• 15. Washington

• 16. Michigan State

• 17. Maryland

• 18. Rutgers

Anyone who has followed Gophers football closely since Fleck was hired in 2017 knows that last week’s loss to Purdue wasn’t a big surprise. Minnesota’s momentum from the Washington and Michigan wins has seemingly vanished. Those results aren’t aging gracefully, and the Gophers’ remaining schedule looks daunting.

Fleck has routinely picked up the pieces and quickly recovered after bad losses at Minnesota, and he will need to do that again. A bye week will certainly help, but the pressure is on for a good showing against Iowa on Oct. 24.

This story was originally published by Bring Me The Sports on Oct 12, 2026, where it first appeared in the MN Gophers section. Add Bring Me The Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.