The Buffalo Bulls and Minnesota Golden Gophers will open their college football seasons against one another on Thursday night. Minnesota enters this game as a heavy favorite at home against an opponent out of the MAC. Can PJ Fleck’s team take care of business at home to open their 2025 campaign? Continue reading to get my Buffalo vs Minnesota prediction for Thursday’s game.
Our Buffalo vs Minnesota Pick
- Pick: Buffalo +17.5
- Confidence: 3/5
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Game Snapshot
- Matchup: Buffalo vs Minnesota
- Date & Time: August 28, 2025, 8:00 PM EDT
- Venue: Huntington Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, MN
- Broadcast: FS1
Buffalo vs Minnesota Odds
| Odds | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo | +17.5 | +700 | 44.5 |
| Minnesota | –17.5 | –1200 |
Key Storylines
- Buffalo enters the game off a 9-4 2024 season that ended with a Bahamas Bowl win over the Liberty Flames. They will try to carry their momentum from last year into 2025 under second-year coach Pete Lembo.
- Minnesota went 8-5 last season and got a win in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl over Virginia Tech at the end of the season. The Golden Gophers will look to start their season off on the right foot as a heavy favorite in this non-conference matchup.
- Minnesota head coach PJ Fleck faces a MAC school this week. He is no stranger to MAC competition after coaching at Northern Illinois and Western Michigan previously in his career.
Quarterback Play
Ta’Quan Roberson is set to take over at quarterback for Buffalo this season. Roberson is starting his sixth season in college football after spending time with Penn State, UConn, and Kansas State previously. He has 2,188 career passing yards and will try to prove himself with a smaller school.
Minnesota will go with Drake Lindsey at quarterback after losing Max Brosmer following last season. Lindsey is entirely unproven in college football with just five pass attempts for the Golden Gophers last year.
Betting Trends & H2H
- Minnesota is 2-0 all-time against Buffalo. Their last meeting came in PJ Fleck’s first game as Minnesota head coach in 2017.
- The Golden Gophers have won both of their meetings with Buffalo by double-digits.
- Buffalo tends to perform well in Week 1. They are 11-4 ATS in their last 15 season openers.
- Buffalo is just 1-11 straight against Big Ten teams historically.
- Minnesota has an 11-1 SU record in their last 12 August games.
Buffalo vs Minnesota Model Projection
Score Projection: Buffalo 24 – Minnesota 38
Win Probability: Buffalo 18%, Minnesota 82%
Final Thoughts
Minnesota should be able to win this game without too much trouble. They will be the more physical team in this game and that should help Lindsey make the transition into being their starting quarterback. But I think this game will be a little bit closer than the point spread thanks to the potential for a slow start on offense for the Golden Gophers. I’ll take the points with Buffalo in a game that should be decided by about two touchdowns.
