Week 1 - Buffalo Bulls @ Minnesota Golden Gophers: Preview, Storylines

The Buffalo Bulls travel to Minnesota to take on Koi Perich and the Golden Gophers in a G5/P4 Week 1 matchup. The Bulls and Golden Gophers finished their 2024 seasons 9-4 and 8-5 respectively, and will both look to improve and contend for their conference titles in 2025.

Here's everything you need to know about Thursday night's matchup:

Buffalo Bulls (0-0, 0-0 MAC) vs Minnesota Golden Gophers (0-0, 0-0 Big 10)

Date: Thursday, August 28

Time: 8 p.m ET // 5 p.m. PT

Location: Huntington Bank Stadium - Minneapolis, MN

TV: FS1

Radio: TuneIn Radio

Betting Line: Minnesota -18.5 on FanDuel

What's In Store For Koi Perich?

Preseason All-American, Bednarik Award Watchlist, first team All-Big 10, and much more. Golden Gophers' sophomore defensive back Koi Perich exploded onto the national scene in 2024, and his meteoric rise has him as a very popular mention among lists of college football's most dominant defensive players. His ballhawking skills were apparent with five interceptions, and he consistently graded out among the nation's best in just about every defensive category.

Essentially, the only questions Perich has to answer going into his sophomore campaign are surrounding just how much better he can become. Buffalo projects as a tune-up game for Minnesota, offering a fantastic opportunity for him to continue his upward trajectory going into year two.

The Return Of Red

Listed as heavy underdogs, Buffalo's most direct path toward creating an upset likely lies in taking advantage of a new, and potentially unfinished, Minnesota offense. The Bulls sent their star linebacker, Shaun Dolac, to the NFL following the 2024 season, but first-team All-MAC LB Red Murdock is expected to be as good, if not better, in 2025. Murdock flashed game-wrecking ability throughout his redshirt sophomore campaign. If he can take advantage of an inexperienced Golden Gophers offense early in the game, the situation could quickly get interesting.

Starting Debuts For Both Quarterbacks

While the journey to their respective starting quarterback jobs could not be much different between Buffalo's Ta'Quan Roberson and Minnesota's Drake Lindsay, both are expected to start their first game for their programs in Week 1. Roberson, a class of 2019 recruit, will look to break through with his fourth team after stints with Penn State, UConn, and Kansas State. Lindsay, the Golden Gophers' signal caller, is five years younger with just five total pass attempts.

A three-star prospect in the 2024 class, he waited a year behind 2024 QB1 Max Brosmer before winning the team's QB battle and being named the starter early in the summer. The success of both teams is highly dependent on the performance of their new gunslingers, and they're set to debut their skills against each other in the opening week.