The Minnesota Golden Gophers begin the 2026 season Thursday night when they host the Eastern Illinois Panthers at Huntington Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
Minnesota enters its opener with quarterback Drake Lindsey returning for his second season as the starter. Lindsey started all 13 games in 2025, completing 246 of 389 passes for 2,382 yards, 18 touchdowns and six interceptions. The Golden Gophers are led by head coach P.J. Fleck, who begins his 10th season with the program.
Eastern Illinois is already 1-0 after opening the season with a 28-14 win over Murray State. The Panthers will try to start 2-0 for the first time since 2013. Running back Charles Kellom was the standout in the opener, rushing for 171 yards and three touchdowns on 19 carries. Quarterback Cole LaCrue will lead the EIU offense against the Big Ten opponent.
How to Watch Eastern Illinois at Minnesota
Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images
- Time: 8 p.m. ET
- Location: Huntington Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Live Stream: Peacock (Exclusive)
Minnesota: head coach P.J. Fleck, quarterback Drake Lindsey. The Gophers will be without center Brett Carroll and defensive lineman Enoch Atewogbola, both of whom suffered season-ending injuries.
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Eastern Illinois: head coach Chris Wilkerson, quarterback Cole LaCrue. The Panthers enter at full strength based on the latest available team reports, with Kellom coming off his 171-yard, three-touchdown performance.
College Football Conference Predictions
Athlon Sports predicts the finishing order for teams in the following conferences:
- ACC
- American
- Big 12
- Big Ten
- Conference USA
- MAC
- Mountain West
- Pac-12
- SEC
- Sun Belt
