It's still more than a year away, but the Gophers already know when they'll see Mississippi State: September 12, 2026, at 2:30 p.m. Home or away hasn't been published yet, so we'll leave that detail alone for now — but the date is locked in on Minnesota's 2026 football schedule.
This one lands in the second week of the season, sandwiched in a stretch that opens with Eastern Illinois on September 3 and rolls into Akron on September 19. It's the kind of early-slate game Gophers fans have seen before — a chance to get a read on where this team stands before Big Ten play ramps up. Mississippi State brings SEC pedigree into the building, or into whatever building this ends up being played in, and it's the only non-conference crossover of that flavor on Minnesota's early schedule.
From there, the schedule keeps rolling: Washington comes to town (or the Gophers travel, per that same TBA tag) on September 26, then Michigan on October 3 and Purdue on October 10 kick off the heart of Big Ten play, with Indiana following on October 31. Mississippi State is really the appetizer before that stretch gets serious.
There's not much more to say yet — no kickoff time beyond that 2:30 p.m. slot, no venue confirmation, no broadcast info. But for Gophers fans already penciling in fall Saturdays, September 12, 2026 is now one of them. Circle it, and check back as the athletic department fills in the rest of the picture.