Gophers to get national TV audience for late-October battle with Maryland

Minnesota is off this week before returning to face Maryland five days before Halloween.

Oct 12, 2024; Pasadena, California, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers running back Darius Taylor (1) celebrates after scoring the game-winning touchdown against the UCLA Bruins in the closing seconds at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images / Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

The Oct. 26 Big Ten football game between Minnesota and Maryland will have a national television audience on FS1. The Gophers announced Monday that the game will kick off at 2:30 p.m. CT inside Huntington Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.

The leaves will be falling, the alcohol will undoubtedly be flowing and fans will be dressed for the holiday all while the University of Minnesota celebrates homecoming weekend. In other words, it's going to be a party in Dinkytown when the Gophers return from their bye.

Minnesota is 4-3 and a win over Maryland would get them within one game of being bowl eligible with four weeks left in the regular season. At 5-3, they would be set up for a huge test at No. 22 Illinois on Nov. 2, followed by a game against former Gophers quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis and Rutgers on Nov. 9.

According to ESPN's matchup predictor, the Gophers have a 63.8% chance to beat Maryland.

The Terrapins have lost two straight, including a brutal home loss to Northwestern by a score of 37-10. Maryland dominated every facet of the game but lost by 27 points because they lost the turnover battle 4-0.

The matchup predictor gives the Gophers basically 50-50 chances against Illinois and Rutgers.

If the Gophers can win all three of those games and reach 7-3, they will close the season with games at home against No. 4 Penn State and then at Wisconsin. Nine wins is probablly a stretch, but a bowl game seems like a certainty barring a disastrous finish for a Minnesota team that just took down USC and UCLA in consecutive weeks.