Gophers football fans to enjoy sailgating before Washington game

Traveling Gopher football fans will enjoy a sweet spot for road games, while those staying back home will be challenged by the Central time zone. Thousands will make the trip to Seattle for Minnesota s Big Ten opener against Washington on Saturday night, with more than a hundred partaking in the unique pregame sailgating experience on Lake Washington before entering Husky Stadium. But the 10 p.m. CT kickoff on FOX will mean those remaining in Minnesota will need plenty of caffeine to stay up to watch the Gophers well after dark. Saturday s start time ties the U s record for the latest kickoff with its trip to play Nevada-Las Vegas in 2012. With the westward expansion of the Big Ten in 2024, both jet-setting and homebody Gopher fans have had two debut conference experiences with their team playing later on the West Coast and one more to go. Minnesota went to UCLA to play in the Rose Bowl in 2024, Oregon s Autzen Stadium in 2025 and will head to Southern Cal an