Gophers vs. Illinois
• Kickoff: 2:30 p.m. Saturday
• Where: Huntington Bank Stadium
• TV/Radio: BTN, 100.3-FM
• Line: Gophers by 11⁄2
Back-to-back victories over Iowa and Michigan State have the Gophers (5-3, 3-2) in a four-way tie atop the Big Ten's West Division. They open the final month of the regular season with a route to get to Indianapolis for the conference title game, but it requires that they keep stacking wins, starting against Illinois (3-5, 1-4).
Three big story lines
Can the Gophers finally beat Bret Bielema? The Fighting Illini coach is 9-0 against Minnesota in his career, going 7-0 as Wisconsin's coach and 2-0 with Illinois. The Gophers fell 14-6 to the Illini in 2021 and 26-14 last year, so points have been tough to come by for coach P.J. Fleck's team.
What will the Gophers backfield look like? Standout freshman running backs Darius Taylor and Zach Evans missed the Michigan State game because of injury, so in stepped Jordan Nubin, who rushed 40 times for 204 yards and two touchdowns. If Taylor and/or Evans return, the Gophers will have strong options.
Will the Gophers ever score on their first possession? The Gophers want to start fast, accelerate in the middle and finish strong, but fast starts have been tough to come by this season. Minnesota has not scored on the first possession in any game and has been outscored 33-20 in the first quarter.