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Book It: Five Predictions for the Gophers' 2026 season. - GopherHole.com It is officially prediction season. We can try all sorts of things to figure out what this season will look like: study the roster, do a deep dive into Minnesota’s opponents, read between the lines of P.J. Fleck’s press conferences, and analyze everything we’ve heard throughout fall camp. I... gopherhole.com It is officially prediction season. We can try all sorts of things to figure out what this season will look like: study the roster, do a deep dive into Minnesota's opponents, read between the lines of P.J. Fleck's press conferences, and analyze everything we've heard throughout fall camp. I realize some of these predictions might not be all that bold, but that's okay. Here are five things I think will happen for Minnesota in 2026. And if you look at my predictions from previous years, it's very clear that sometimes I know what I'm doing—and other times, I have absolutely no clue. Here we go. 1. Anthony Smith Becomes Minnesota’s All-Time Leader in Sacks AND Tackles for Loss​ Is this bold? Not so much. Anthony Smith enters the season with 19.5 career sacks and 31 tackles for loss. Karon Riley owns Minnesota's career sack record with 29, while Willie VanDeSteeg holds the tackles-for-loss record with 43.5. That means Smith needs 10 sacks and 13 tackles for loss to take over both records. Those would be huge numbers for most players, but Smith basically did that last year. He recorded 12.5 sacks and 17.5 tackles for loss, leading the Big Ten in sacks. Every offensive coordinator Minnesota faces will make sure their players know exactly where No. 0 is on the field. Smith will see plenty of double teams, chips, and schemes designed specifically to slow him down. While I don't think he'll put up better numbers than he did last year, I think he'll do enough to put his name at the top of both lists and cement himself as one of the best defensive players in Minnesota history. Anthony Smith becomes Minnesota's all-time leader in sacks and tackles for loss. 2. Floyd and Paul Live in Minneapolis​ Minnesota beating Wisconsin isn't really a bold prediction anymore. Minnesota beating Iowa is. Nobody needs to tell P.J. Fleck that the Hawkeyes have dominated this rivalry during his time at Minnesota. Iowa has won 10 of the last 11 meetings, with Minnesota's lone victory during that stretch coming in 2023. But I like the circumstances this year. Iowa comes to Dinkytown. Minnesota has a bye before the game. And the Hawkeyes have lost quite a bit of production on both sides of the ball. If Minnesota can't beat Iowa this year, who knows when it will? The Wisconsin game is a different story. Minnesota has won four of the last five against the Badgers, including the last two. One thing that keeps Iowa consistently solid is its identity and culture. It knows exactly what it wants to be. It seems like Luke Fickell has yet to establish either of those things in Madison. By the time Minnesota travels to Camp Randall in late November, there could be even more uncertainty surrounding the Wisconsin program. I predict both trophies will reside in Minneapolis when the regular season ends. Floyd and Paul are staying in Dinkytown. 3. Six Gophers Earn All-Big Ten Honors​ Over the last 10 seasons, Minnesota has had six or more players earn First-, Second-, or Third-Team All-Big Ten honors only twice: 2019 and 2022. Last season, three Gophers made one of the top three teams: Anthony Smith, Koi Perich and Tom Weston. This year, I think Minnesota doubles that number. My six are Anthony Smith, Greg Johnson, Drake Lindsey, Maverick Baranowski, John Nestor and Darius Taylor. There's already plenty of preseason recognition surrounding this group. Smith and Johnson were both named First-Team Preseason All-Americans by Phil Steele. Taylor has received preseason All-Big Ten recognition from multiple outlets. Baranowski recorded 103 tackles last season and returns as one of the conference's better linebackers, while Nestor's six interceptions were among the best totals in the Big Ten. That leaves Lindsey as my biggest projection. If Lindsey makes the Year 2 jump I'm expecting him to have, I think he'll join the other five. Book it: six Gophers earn First-, Second- or Third-Team All-Big Ten honors. 4. Minnesota Finishes the Season in the Top 20​ The Gophers have finished 8-5 in consecutive seasons, but I think this year's team has a chance to take another step forward. In my game-by-game predictions, I have Minnesota finishing the regular season 8-4. Win the bowl game, and you're sitting pretty at 9-4. Steal one of the games I currently have Minnesota losing, and suddenly 10 wins becomes possible. There is talent all over this roster. I'm not predicting another 2019, when Minnesota went 11-2 and finished No. 10 in the country. But I do think this team can get back into the national conversation. Nine wins and a bowl victory over a quality opponent could be enough to get there. Ten wins almost certainly would. Minnesota finishes the 2026 season ranked inside the Top 20. 5. Darius Taylor Finishes His Career Among Minnesota’s Top Five Rushers​ This prediction comes down to two words: Stay healthy. Taylor enters his final season at Minnesota with 2,455 career rushing yards, averaging 5.1 yards per carry. He has accumulated those numbers despite never playing a completely healthy season. Well, this year he's going to be healthy. I'm speaking it into existence. Taylor needs 1,355 rushing yards this season to pass Thomas Hamner's 3,810 career yards and crack Minnesota's all-time top five. That's asking a lot. Taylor has yet to have a 1,000-yard season in college. But we've all seen what he can do when he's healthy. As a freshman, Taylor averaged an incredible 133.2 rushing yards per game. If he reaches 1,355 yards this season, it will also put him around the top 10 for a single season in Minnesota history. A healthy Taylor is one of the best running backs in the Big Ten. I'm betting we finally get to see what he can do over an entire season. Fun Fact: Taylor needs 33 receptions to pass Chuck Rios for most catches by a running back in Gophers history. Darius Taylor finishes his Gophers career in style by having his best season in maroon and gold—and finishing among Minnesota's five leading rushers of all time. How Many Will I Get Right?​ So, there they are. Anthony Smith breaks two career records. Minnesota gets Floyd and the Axe. Six Gophers earn First-, Second- or Third-Team All-Big Ten honors. Minnesota finishes inside the Top 20. And Darius Taylor finishes his career among the five leading rushers in program history. Will I go 5-for-5? Probably not. But that's the fun of writing these prediction articles. A few months from now, some of these might look pretty smart—and others might look completely ridiculous. But if I'm right about all five? is going to be a pretty fun place to be this fall.