Gophers to face BYU for 2020 Homecoming game
Head coach P.J. Fleck of the Minnesota Golden Gophers and his team take the field against the Penn State Nittany Lions at TCFBank Stadium on November 9, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. ((Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images))
MINNEAPOLIS - The University of Minnesota football team will host BYU for its Homecoming game for the 2020 season, the school announced Tuesday.
It’ll be Week 4 for the Gophers, who open a highly-anticipated 2020 season against Florida Atlantic on Thursday, Sept. 3, at TCF Bank Stadium. Minnesota also hosts Tennessee Tech on Sept. 12, and opens Big Ten play on Friday, Sept. 18 against rival Iowa.
The Homecoming game against BYU on Sept. 26 marks the last of a four-game home stand to start the 2020 season. The Cougars are coming off a 7-6 season that included a double overtime win at Tennessee, followed by an overtime win over USC.
BYU ended its season with a 38-34 loss to Hawaii in the Hawaii Bowl.
It’ll be the Gophers’ first Homecoming game against a non-conference opponent since 2015, when they beat the University of Ohio 27-24. Minnesota has never faced BYU in football.
The Gophers are coming off a historic 2019 season, winning 11 games for the first time in 115 years. They also won seven Big Ten games for the first time in the history of the program. P.J. Fleck’s third season at Minnesota ended with a 31-24 win over Auburn in the Outback Bowl.
The Gophers will likely be ranked in the top 15 to start the 2020 season after being ranked No. 10 in the final Associated Press rankings for the 2019 season.