Mark it down: the Gophers and Purdue are set to meet on October 10, 2026, with kickoff time still TBA. It's one more entry on what's shaping up to be a meaty middle stretch of Minnesota's fall slate.
Home or away hasn't been published yet for this one, so hold off on penciling in a trip to West Lafayette or a Saturday at Huntington Bank Stadium — that detail will surface as the athletic department finalizes logistics closer to the season.
The Purdue date slots in right after a big one. Minnesota opens October with Michigan on October 3, meaning the Gophers go from a Big Ten heavyweight straight into a Boilermaker matchup a week later. That follows a September that features Washington on the 26th, giving Minnesota a run of three straight ranked-or-relevant Big Ten opponents to close out the first half of the schedule.
Before any of that, the Gophers open the season at home against Eastern Illinois on September 3, then work through Mississippi State on September 12 and Akron on September 19 to get game reps in before the conference gauntlet hits. By the time October 10 rolls around, fans will have a much better read on who this team is.
It's early — way too early, honestly — to say much more than the date and the opponent. But for a fan base that circles Big Ten Saturdays a year in advance, October 10 against Purdue is now officially on the calendar.