Gophers-Washington Big Ten opener gets absurdly late start time

Gophers-Washington Big Ten opener gets absurdly late start time

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Gophers-Washington Big Ten opener gets absurdly late start time

Start times and TV assignments have been announced for the Big Ten in Week 4, and the Gophers will open conference play at 10 p.m. CT against Washington. That game will be broadcast nationally on FOX.

Minnesota’s first trip to Husky Stadium as Big Ten foes with Washington will kick off at 8 p.m. local time, but Gophers fans back home might struggle to stay up for the whole game. Minnesota’s game against Cal last season was a 9:30 p.m. CT start, but this will be 30 minutes later. It will be the Gophers’ third West Coast trip for a Big Ten game since the conference expanded to 18 teams, but it will be their first in the extra late-night Saturday slot.

Sep 6, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Washington Huskies head coach Jedd Fisch on the field prior to game against the Washington State Cougars at Husky Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

An average college football game takes around 3.5 hours. That means fans in Minnesota would be forced to stay up until 1:30 a.m. CT to watch their favorite college football team play in a conference game.

The Big Ten’s decision to add the four West Coast schools before the 2024 season was almost exclusively financially driven. The late-night Saturday start time has been a window for each of the last two seasons, and this is just Minnesota’s first time drawing the short straw. It’s another reason why regional conferences make sense, and whatever college football has become is a made-for-TV product that helps conferences maximize profits. If you want to complain about the late start time, proceed with caution. College football has repeatedly shown it doesn’t care about the average fan, and it looks like that won’t change anytime soon.

With that being said, it will be a huge game for both teams. Washington has gotten off to a shaky 2-0 start with bumpy wins over Washington State and Utah State at home. One of the Huskies’ best receivers, Christian Moss, was just ruled out for 2-3 months on Monday as well. After losing on Saturday to Mississippi State, the Gophers’ Big Ten opener is that much more important, and it’s certainly winnable.

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This story was originally published by Bring Me The Sports on Sep 14, 2026, where it first appeared in the MN Gophers section. Add Bring Me The Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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