Why beating Minnesota is important for Washington Huskies’ Big Ten outlook

On a micro level, Washington’s matchup with Minnesota on Saturday is simply the first test. 

The undefeated Huskies, after an underwhelming start, can reestablish their playoff aspirations by handling the Golden Gophers in a convincing fashion. 

It’s an opportunity to see Washington’s offensive line face Minnesota’s Anthony Smith, one of the best pass rushers in the Big Ten and a second-team preseason AP All-American. It’s a chance for UW’s defensive line to prove its strong start to the season can be maintained against opponents with similar talent levels, as Minnesota boasts left guard Greg Johnson, another second-team preseason AP All-American. 

“These guys are going to be more aggressive,” Husky coach Jedd Fisch said Monday. “They’re faster in their coverages. So for that, we have to be prepared.” 

Washington opens Big Ten play at 8 p.m. Saturday when it hosts Minnesota at Husky Stadium. Despite a slightly lethargic start to the season, UW’s destiny remains in its own hands. The Huskies’ record remains unblemished. A win against Minnesota likely propels Washington back into the AP poll, and puts a spotlight on upcoming matchups against ranked opponents like No. 12 USC and No. 17 Iowa. 

On a macro level, however, Washington’s game against Minnesota is an opportunity to further establish the Huskies’ place in the Big Ten’s hierarchy. 

For the past 10 years, Minnesota under coach P.J. Fleck has epitomized the conference’s middle tier. The Golden Gophers have had six winning seasons since Fleck took over before the 2017 season. Fleck has brought stability and continuity to the Twin Cities. He’s currently the Big Ten’s second-longest tenured coach, behind only Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz. 

Fleck’s Minnesota teams are a perfect 7-0 in bowl games. They’ve produced NFL talent like safety Antoine Winfield Jr., wide receiver Rashod Bateman, edge rusher Boye Mafe, tackle Aireontae Ersery and, most recently, defensive tackle Deven Eastern, the Seahawks’ 2026 seventh-round draft pick.

“Coach Fleck does an amazing job,” Fisch said. “I have all the respect in the world for him. Known him for a very long time. His team’s extremely well coached. I think he has a six or seven game win streak in bowl games. I think that has a lot to do with the way he prepares his team, his culture. I’ve just always been very impressed with him.

“I know how hard it is to win consistently at Minnesota. I coached there back in 2009. He does an incredible job of getting that done.”

Fleck’s Minnesota teams, however, have rarely challenged the conference’s top tier. The Golden Gophers went 11-2 in 2019, Fleck’s third season at the helm. Minnesota finished the season ranked No. 10 nationally and tied for first in the Big Ten West. However, it lost the tiebreaker to Wisconsin, missing out on a chance to play for the Big Ten championship, then got passed over for a New Year’s Six game and the Citrus Bowl. 

Minnesota hasn’t surpassed nine wins in a season since 2019. And after the West Coast schools joined the conference before the 2024 campaign, the Golden Gophers have registered consecutive 8-5 seasons while going 5-4 in the conference play. 

Fleck enters Saturday with a 39-40 record against Big Ten opponents. He has a 7-18 record against teams ranked in the AP Top 25 at Minnesota. He’s 0-4 vs. Michigan, 0-4 vs. Ohio State, 1-2 vs. Penn State, and 1-8 vs. Iowa. 

Washington, however, has never finished a season higher than Minnesota in the Big Ten standings. The Huskies went 4-5 in conference play in 2024 as Fisch tried to salvage a program recovering from massive roster churn following Kalen DeBoer’s exit after the 2023 season. 

UW improved to 5-4 a year later, tying Minnesota for a seventh-place finish in the 18-team conference after UW lost to all three of its ranked opponents and suffered an upset on the road against Wisconsin.  

Since joining the conference, Washington has finished tied or behind eight teams during both of its Big Ten campaigns: Indiana, Oregon, Ohio State, Michigan, USC, Iowa, Illinois and Minnesota. The first three have all been College Football Playoff teams during 2024 and 2025, the tier the Huskies aspire to join in 2026. 

To do that, Washington must prove it can regularly beat the second tier of Big Ten teams. The Huskies were victorious against USC and Michigan in 2024, but stumbled mightily against Iowa. They defeated Illinois at home in 2025, but fell on the road against the Wolverines in Ann Arbor, Mich. 

Beating the Golden Gophers on Saturday can further cement Fisch’s team at the top of the second tier and, more importantly, keeps it on the path to challenge the three teams who’ve controlled the playoff spots for the past two years. Lose, and fall back into the pack while rematches with USC and Iowa loom in the immediate future. 

“We’re going to have to stop the run,” Fisch said. “We’re going to have to get off the field on third down like we’ve been doing on defense. We have to continue that against a really good quarterback and really good team. We’re going to have to find a way to balance the passing game and the running game in a way that we can stretch the field when necessary. Run horizontally when needed, and figure out ways to get first downs and create points.”

Extra points: 

• Washington released its first midweek injury report Wednesday. Cornerback Emmanuel Karnley (lower body), nickel Rahshawn Clark (undisclosed), center Landen Hatchett (wrist) and defensive tackle DeSean Watts (undisclosed) were all listed as questionable. Defensive tackle Elinneus Davis (lower leg) and edge rusher Logan George, who missed UW’s 48-16 win against FCS Eastern Washington with an undisclosed injury, were both marked probable. 

• Running backs Jordan Washington (neck), Jayden Limar (elbow) and Quaid Carr (hand) were all listed out while dealing with long-term injuries, along with safety CJ Christian (Achilles tendon). Despite not appearing on the report, wide receiver Christian Moss (lower body) also remains out per a UW spokesperson. 

• Most notably for Minnesota, running back Darius Taylor was listed as probable after missing its 41-7 win against Akron on Sept. 19 with a lower body injury. Nickel Aidan Gousby and starting linebacker Matt Kingsbury, who also sat out against Akron, are also considered probable, though starting center Ashton Beers is questionable after missing snaps against Akron.

• UW and Minnesota will release two more midweek injury updates on Thursday and Friday before its pregame injury report is published two hours before kickoff.