The Gophers have their first and only bye of the 2026 regular season this week as they prepare for a pivotal home game against Iowa on Saturday, Oct. 24. College football has been more unpredictable than ever, so here are five storylines to watch without a Minnesota game this week.

Wisconsin @ UCLA

From a Gophers perspective, this is the most intriguing game on the slate for a multitude of reasons. The biggest is that they still play both UCLA and Wisconsin in the 2026 regular season. The result of Saturday night’s 6:30 p.m. CT kickoff at the Rose Bowl will have a huge impact on both teams.

The Bruins are riding high on last week’s upset win over Oregon, but starting QB Nico Iamaleava is out for the season. A win over Wisconsin would entrench their spot as a legit College Football Playoff team. Wisconsin traveling cross-country to knock off No. 12 UCLA would be the biggest win of Luke Fickell’s tenure in Madison and establish the Badgers as a dangerous team in this year’s Big Ten.

Ohio State @ Indiana

Ohio State and Indiana were both expected to contend for the Big Ten Championship this season, so seeing both teams in the top five of the AP Poll is a surprise to nobody. Seeing the Buckeyes pick up a second loss before Halloween would certainly be surprising, but they’d still have a path to a 10-2 season and a CFP berth. Indiana earned last week’s win against Nebraska, and the Hoosiers look like a CFP contender again. Saturday will feature a classic Big Noon Kickoff matchup between the Big Ten’s clear top two teams.

Northwestern is on sneaky upset alert

If UCLA is the Big Ten’s surprise team this season, No. 25 Northwestern is a close second. The newly ranked Wildcats play at Michigan State at 11 a.m. CT on Saturday. The Spartans have been one of the worst teams in the conference, but new head coach Pat Fitzgerald might have some extra motivation. He was fired from his alma mater in controversial circumstances, and a win over a ranked Northwestern team would be the perfect opportunity to find some momentum in his first season in East Lansing.

Is Purdue sneaky good?

After Minnesota lost by 28 points on the road against Purdue last week, it’s obvious that the Boilermakers are no longer a Big Ten bottom feeder. Whether or not they’re a sneaky good team will start to become clear this week against Washington on Friday night. If Purdue is a bowl team, it should beat an ailing Washington team at home. If the Boilermakers take care of business, the Gophers’ loss is one that could look a lot different at the end of the season.

What’s going on in Lincoln?

Nebraska isn’t a recognized rival of the Gophers, but the Cornhuskers have developed a friendly rivalry with Minnesota since joining the conference in 2011. The two Midwest programs don’t meet this season, but a lot of Gophers fans were probably watching Nebraska’s upset bid fall short against Indiana last week. I came away impressed by Matt Rhule’s team, and I am curious to see how the Cornhuskers look in this week’s late-night 10 p.m. CT kickoff against Oregon on the road.

Source: Yahoo Sports