Upcoming Minnesota Golden Gophers football dates
Dates and live ticket listings appear here as soon as they are on sale. The guide below covers what to know before you buy.
The Gophers program in brief
Minnesota plays its home games at Huntington Bank Stadium, an open-air horseshoe on the university's Minneapolis campus, and the home season runs from late August or early September into late November. The Golden Gophers played their first game in 1882 and have been in the Big Ten since the conference began as the Western Conference in 1896.
The school claims seven national championships: 1904, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1940, 1941 and 1960. Bernie Bierman's teams won three straight titles from 1934 to 1936, and halfback Bruce Smith won the Heisman Trophy in 1941. Minnesota has won 18 conference championships, the most recent in 1967, and its one Rose Bowl victory came over UCLA, 21–3, after the 1961 season. Henry L. Williams, the school's first full-time coach, developed the Minnesota shift, an early version of the pre-snap line shifts later used across the sport.
The 2019 team went 11–2 and started 9–0 for the first time since 1904, including a home win over No. 4 Penn State. Coaching staffs and rosters turn over often in college football, so check the team's official site for the current staff and schedule.
Huntington Bank Stadium: the horseshoe and its open end
The stadium opened on September 12, 2009, when Minnesota beat Air Force 20–13, ending 27 seasons indoors at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. It was called TCF Bank Stadium until June 2021, when Huntington Bancshares acquired TCF and the name changed. The Minnesota Vikings used it as their home for the 2014 and 2015 seasons while U.S. Bank Stadium was built.
Capacity figures differ. The stadium's listed capacity is 50,805, while the program's own history describes a 52,525-seat building designed to expand toward 80,000. The record crowd is 54,147, set against TCU on September 3, 2015.
The horseshoe shape is the key to the layout. Seating wraps the north and south sidelines and the east end, and the west end is open, facing campus and giving fans a view of the downtown Minneapolis skyline. The roughly 10,000-seat student section fills the east end.
Choosing seats for a Gophers game
- Lower sideline between the 30s. The best views and the first seats to go for trophy games. Mid-bowl rows see over the benches better than the front rows.
- Upper sideline levels. A clearer view of plays developing, and for a smaller stadium the upper rows are not as far from the field as they are in an 80,000-seat bowl.
- West end corners. Seats near the open end have the skyline view behind the field. Sightlines toward the far end zone are long, so these work best for fans who value atmosphere over a sideline angle.
- East end. Mostly the student section. Students receive wristbands at entry for the lower level, and the section stands for most of the game, so it is not a good choice for anyone who wants to sit.
Sun and cold. Because the open end faces west, the field runs roughly east to west. As a rule of thumb for afternoon games in the fall, seats on the north side face south toward the sun, while the south side has the sun behind it. In September that can mean a hot north sideline; by November in Minneapolis, the sunny side is the warmer one. Every seat is outdoors, so dress for the forecast late in the season.
Trophy games and the matchups that sell first
Few programs play for as many traveling trophies, and those games drive demand.
- Wisconsin (Paul Bunyan's Axe). The most-played rivalry in major college football, played every year except 1906 since 1890. The Axe has been the prize since 1948, after the original Slab of Bacon trophy disappeared. The series was nearly even, 64–63–8 in Minnesota's favor, through 2025.
- Michigan (Little Brown Jug). The oldest trophy game in college football, dating to a water jug left behind after the 1903 game.
- Iowa (Floyd of Rosedale). A bronze pig trophy that began with a bet between the two states' governors in 1935.
- Nebraska. A regular Big Ten opponent since 2011, with a fan-created, unofficial trophy that grew out of a social media exchange in 2014.
Big Ten scheduling rotates opponents, so not every trophy game is played every year or at home. When the Axe or Floyd of Rosedale is on the home schedule late in the season, that is usually the hardest ticket. Visits from Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State and the newer West Coast members also bring large traveling crowds.
Gameday on campus: light rail, tailgating and timing
The Metro Transit Green Line has a station in Stadium Village next to the stadium, which makes light rail the simplest way in from downtown Minneapolis or St. Paul. As of the athletic department's current gameday FAQ, public gates open 90 minutes before kickoff and tailgate lots open six hours before kickoff, but no earlier than 7 a.m. Gas grills with small propane tanks, portable furniture and generators are allowed in tailgate lots, while kegs, glass and open fires are not.
Beer sales were approved by the university regents in 2012, and the stadium now sells beer, wine and other drinks from 90 minutes before kickoff through the end of the third quarter, with a two-drink limit per transaction. Concessions are cashless. Mascot Goldy Gopher and the marching band lead the pregame, and the program's history credits its first coach, philosophy professor Thomas Peebles, as the father of American cheerleading.
As of the current season, the stadium uses a clear-bag policy (clear plastic, vinyl or PVC bags no larger than 12 by 6 by 12 inches, a one-gallon clear bag, or a small bag about 4.5 by 6.5 inches). Check the official gameday FAQ before you go, since rules change.
How Gophers tickets are sold, and where resale fits
Season tickets, typically allocated with priority for donors to the athletic fund, take the best sideline seats. Students buy their own package for the east end. What remains is sold as single-game tickets, and for trophy games and top opponents most of the good locations are already held by season-ticket holders.
The resale market fills that gap. Because the stadium is one of the smaller venues in the Big Ten, supply for the biggest games is thin, and listings for lower sideline seats move first. Prices tend to rise when both teams are ranked, when a game lands in prime time or when a trophy is on the line, and they can ease for early non-conference games or a cold, late-season game with little at stake. Every GoodSeats order includes free shipping and a 100% guarantee.
Frequently asked questions
Where do the Minnesota Golden Gophers play football?
Minnesota plays at Huntington Bank Stadium on the university's Minneapolis campus. The stadium opened in 2009 and was called TCF Bank Stadium until 2021.
How many seats are at Huntington Bank Stadium?
Listed capacity is 50,805, though the program also cites a figure of 52,525. The record crowd is 54,147 for the 2015 TCU game.
Where is the student section at Huntington Bank Stadium?
The roughly 10,000-seat student section is in the east end of the horseshoe. The west end is open and looks toward downtown Minneapolis.
Can you take light rail to a Gophers game?
Yes. The Metro Transit Green Line has a Stadium Village station next to the stadium, with service from downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul.
What trophies does Minnesota play for?
Minnesota plays Wisconsin for Paul Bunyan's Axe, Michigan for the Little Brown Jug and Iowa for Floyd of Rosedale. The Big Ten schedule rotates, so not every trophy game is played each year.