Gophers add Alabama to football schedule in 2032, 2033
MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minnesota Golden Gophers will take on college football's most titanic team...in 10 years' time.
The Gophers announced Tuesday they've added the University of Alabama to their schedule in 2032 and 2033. The first game will be played in Minneapolis, and the second in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
The two teams have only met once before, when the Gophers beat the Crimson Tide 20-16 in the 2004 Music City Bowl.
Three years after that game, Nick Saban took over as head coach at Alabama. Since then, the Crimson Tide have won six national championships and lost three more. Since 2008, they've been the top-ranked team in college football at some point in each season. The latest poll has them at No. 3.
P.J. Fleck, who is the sixth man to coach the Gophers since Saban started at Alabama, brought Minnesota its first double digit win season in 16 years in 2019. This year, the Gophers are 4-1 and were ranked 21st, before a loss to Purdue knocked them out of the top 25.
Given Saban's age (70) and the persistent chatter that Fleck is being eyed by bigger programs than Minnesota, it's highly unlikely they'll be on the sidelines come 2032.