Gophers to open next 4 football seasons at home on Thursday nights

The Gophers football team will open its next four seasons on Thursday night.

The "U" announced on Tuesday it has reached agreement with the Minnesota State Fair to open the Thursday before Labor Day weekend at TCF Bank Stadium, rather than on that following Saturday.

The openers will be against UNLV on Aug. 29, 2013; Eastern Illinois on Aug. 28, 2014; South Dakota on Sept. 3, 2015; and New Mexico State on Sept. 1, 2016.

Other changes to future football schedules announced on Tuesday include the cancellation of the Gophers' home-and-home series with North Carolina in 2013 and '14 and the addition of nonconference home games against Kent State (Sept. 19, 2015) and South Dakota State (Aug. 29, 2019).

The "U" reportedly paid $800,000 to cancel the North Carolina series.

Future Gophers football schedules

2013

Aug. 29 - UNLV
Sept. 7 - TBA
Sept. 14 - Western Illinois
Sept. 21 - San Jose State
Sept. 28 - Iowa (HC)
Oct. 5 - at Michigan
Oct. 19 - at Northwestern
Oct. 26 - Nebraska
Nov. 2 - at Indiana
Nov. 9 - Penn State
Nov. 23 - Wisconsin
Nov. 30 - at Michigan State

2014

Aug. 28 - Eastern Illinois
Sept. 6- M. Tennessee St.
Sept. 13- TBA
Sept. 20- San Jose State
Sept. 27- at Penn State
Oct. 11- Northwestern (HC)
Oct. 18- Michigan
Nov. 1- at Nebraska
Nov. 8- Indiana
Nov. 15- at Iowa
Nov. 22- at Wisconsin
Nov. 29- Michigan State

2015

Sept. 3- South Dakota State
Sept. 12- at Colorado State
Sept. 19- Kent State
Sept. 26- Ohio
Oct. 3- Nebraska
Oct. 10- at Northwestern
Oct. 17- at Michigan
Oct. 24- Iowa
Oct. 31- Ohio State
Nov. 7- at Purdue
Nov. 21- Wisconsin
Nov. 28- at Michigan State

2016

Sept. 1- New Mexico State
Sept. 10- Indiana State
Sept. 17- at Miami (Ohio)
Sept. 24- Colorado State
Oct. 1- at Iowa
Oct. 8- Michigan
Oct. 22- at Nebraska
Oct. 29- Northwestern
Nov. 5- at Ohio State
Nov. 12- Purdue
Nov. 19- at Wisconsin
Nov. 26- Michigan State