How to Watch: Michigan Football vs Minnesota, other top games of Week 5

It was a brutal weekend for the Michigan Wolverines as karma reared its ugly head in a walk-off loss to the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Big House.

Things don’t really lighten up for the maize and blue, as they head to Minneapolis for their first road game in 2026 to face the 3-1 Minnesota Golden Gophers. P.J. Fleck has once again coached up a solid team, coming off an emotional victory in Seattle over Washington. The Battle for the Little Brown Jug always has some intrigue, but the status of these two programs as the season’s midway point approaches makes this one even more interesting.

Michigan Wolverines vs Minnesota Golden Gophers

• Day: Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026
• TV: FOX
• Time: Noon ET
• Location: Minneapolis, MN
• Weather: 60 degrees, partly cloudy
• Odds: MICH -5.5, O/U: 42.5

This rivalry dates back to 1892. Outside of one stretch in the mid-to-late 1930s, it has been all Wolverines. In fact, Michigan is 45-5 in the last 50 matchups dating back to 1966. Since Fleck took over, the Golden Gophers are 0-4 in this series and have been outscored 161-68. Michigan has continued its historic dominance in this rivalry.

There are reasons for skepticism this year, and it starts with an undisciplined Michigan unit. We’re four weeks into the regular season, and this will be the first time the Wolverines are tested on foreign turf. Making matters worse, this contest falls after a heartbreaking loss to a conference foe and a week before the bye — where Penn State and No. 6 Indiana sit waiting on the other side.

Before the season, I called this Michigan’s trap game. Honestly, now it’s just a game they could straight up lose.

They haven’t played a full, four-quarter game to this point. A players-only meeting has already been called once. There’s been controversy at the quarterback position about Bryce Underwood’s status as a starter not being “infinite”. More big names keep popping up on the injury report (Dom Nichols, John Henry Daley, and Andrew Marsh have a designation). Kyle Whittingham is in front of the media, saying he feels like they’re 0-4. And now, the team has to essentially win out if they want to ensure their spot in the College Football Playoff is secure.

Minnesota is exactly the kind of team that can pray off of this situation. They’ll want to do exactly what Western Michigan did in Week 1 – dominate possession with an efficient offense and control the run game.

That’s exactly the recipe they used to beat Washington last week. The Gophers controlled the ball for over 36 minutes, totaled 329 yards, and held the Huskies to only 40 rushing yards while forcing two costly turnovers. Washington was only 1-for-10 on third down and fell on their home field as two-score favorites.

This really boils down to how Michigan responds. They are the much more talented team, but that’s been true in at least three of their four games this season. Even Oklahoma If they play clean football on the road, they should win this game handily.

But I have serious doubts that they are capable of that, especially in a hostile environment that they haven’t had to face yet this season.

I’m not entirely bought into another loss yet, but as the week progresses, I may be convinced. At the minimum, I think this is a close contest that comes down to the wire again, and that’s why I’m leaning towards Minnesota covering that 5.5-point spread.

Best Bet: Minnesota +5.5

Other Top Games of Week 5

• Sat, Oct. 2 @ NOON ET on ABC: No. 7 Alabama Crimson Tide vs No. 16 Mississippi State Bulldogs

• • The Bet: BAMA -6

• Sat, Sept. 26 @ 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS: No. 5 Ohio State Buckeyes vs No. 14 Iowa Hawkeyes

• • The Bet: OSU – 14.5

• Sat, Sept. 26 @ 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC: No. 4 Miami Hurricanes vs Clemson Tigers

• • The Bet: Clemson +16.5