The Gophers did something P.J. Fleck has rarely done, and it could change their season

The Gophers closed as high as 12.5-point betting underdogs before going into Washington and picking up a 27-24 victory to open their Big Ten schedule. Whether the Huskies were overrated or not, it could be one of the most important wins of P.J. Fleck’s Minnesota tenure.

Washington began the season ranked No. 17 in the preseason AP Top 25. After a sluggish nonconference slate and a surprising loss to Minnesota, it’s clear that Jedd Fisch’s squad might struggle to reach those expectations. That shouldn’t matter for the Gophers.

Fleck and many coaches in the Big Ten make sure everyone knows how difficult it is to win in the new 18-team era of the conference because it is. Washington had a 28-2 record at home since 2022 before Saturday’s game. The only teams that left Husky Stadium victorious in that time frame were Ohio State and Oregon. Minnesota deserves a ton of credit for joining that list.

Saturday’s win was the type of game that Fleck has struggled to win at Minnesota. Betting odds are not official, but a 12.5-point spread would be his biggest upset win with the Gophers, surpassing their stunning 2018 win at Wisconsin.

When you’re at one school for 10 years, like Fleck has been at Minnesota, narratives begin to form. Winning at Washington shifted a lot of those narratives. The Gophers really struggled on the road last season with five disappointing losses, and they’ve fallen flat in many more games away from Minneapolis under Fleck. When you begin to eliminate emotional rivalry games against Wisconsin and Iowa, you could make a real argument that Saturday was Fleck’s biggest road win with the Gophers.

Road wins under Fleck

• 2026: Washington
• 2024: UCLA, Illinois and Wisconsin
• 2023: Iowa
• 2022: Michigan State, Nebraska and Wisconsin
• 2021: Colorado, Purdue, Northwestern and Indiana
• 2020: Illinois and Nebraska
• 2019: Fresno State, Purdue, Rutgers and Northwestern
• 2018: Wisconsin
• 2017: Oregon State

Saturday was Fleck’s 20th road win with the program. When you eliminate Wisconsin and Iowa, the list becomes pretty barren. Road environments like Purdue, Northwestern, Rutgers, Fresno State and Nebraska have not exactly been tough places to play over the last decade. No matter what type of team Washington is this season, Husky Stadium is historically one of the toughest places to play in college football.

When you look at the big picture, Saturday’s win stands out in Fleck’s Minnesota resume, but it’s also huge for the 2026 season. The Gophers’ remaining schedule might look even tougher than it did before the season. Starting Big Ten play 0-1 could’ve spelled trouble.

This week’s matchup with Michigan might be Minnesota’s best chance to win the Little Brown Jug since it last did in 2014. A win over the Wolverines could realistically put the Gophers in strong consideration to be ranked in the AP Poll for the first time since they last were in 2022.

The Gophers went to Washington with a second-year defensive coordinator, a struggling offensive coordinator and a starting quarterback with a road win in his college career. Winning in that spot could give all three people the confidence they need to pull off another upset against the Wolverines at home, and change more narratives.

Whether or not Minnesota is able to knock off Michigan, it will have its most favorable matchup remaining on the schedule the following week at Purdue; then a true gauntlet begins. Home games against No. 14 Iowa, No. 23 UCLA and Northwestern all look more challenging than they did at the start of the year. Road games at No. 6 Indiana, Penn State and Wisconsin are all tall tasks.

Without a win at Washington, there was a real chance the Gophers entered the second half of their schedule with a 3-3 record, or worse, which could’ve prompted some uncomfortable conversations. 4-2 or even 5-1 are now on the table, which puts everything in front of them.

Fleck was able to pull off something that he has rarely done at Minnesota. His team went on the road and won a game that many people thought they couldn’t. How they build off that performance will determine their ceiling, but winning that game likely prevents the bottom from falling out in the 2026 season.

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This story was originally published by Bring Me The Sports on Sep 29, 2026, where it first appeared in the MN Gophers section. Add Bring Me The Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.