The 2016 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team represented the University of Minnesota in the 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They played home games at TCF Bank Stadium. They were a member of the West Division of the Big Ten Conference. They finished the season 9–4, 5–4 in conference play to finish in fourth place in the West Division. They were invited to the Holiday Bowl where they defeated Washington State. The Golden Gophers were led by Tracy Claeys in his first and only season as head coach. Claeys was fired by the university on January 3 after he publicy backed a player-led boycott of the Holiday Bowl, following the suspension of ten players that were accused of sexual assault. Wiki link