Just three days after the Big Ten announced they will play this fall, the regular season schedule was announced. Each team will play in an eight-game regular season with four home and four road games.
Head Coach Mel Tucker will make his Spartan debut at home Oct. 24 hosting Rutgers. Originally, Michigan State was scheduled to host Northwestern.
In week two things get difficult as the Spartans will travel to Ann Arbor for a second year in row to take on Jim Harbaugh and the Michigan Wolverines. Originally, the MSU vs. Michigan game was supposed to be in East Lansing, but the Big Ten decided to have it in Ann Arbor for a second year in a row. This will be the first time since 2013 and 2014 when the rivalry game has not alternated hosts.
Week three will be another road game against the Iowa Hawkeyes. MSU has not played Iowa since 2017. However, Michigan State has won their last three meetings, including the 2015 Big Ten Championship game. Iowa City is a tough place to win though losing only one home game last year, a five-point loss to Penn State.
In week four, the Spartans will travel back to East Lansing to host the Indiana Hoosiers. Michigan State has dominated this rivalry, but this is a different Hoosiers team than we have historically seen. With an 8-5 record in 2019, this will be no cake walk for the Spartans.
The Spartans will hit the road again in week five to take on the Maryland Terrapins. Maryland had a year to forget last year with a 3-9 record. The two teams faced each other in the final regular season game of 2019, a 19-16 win for Michigan State.
In week six MSU will host Northwestern on Nov. 28. The 2019 trip to Evanston, Illinois, was a memorable experience for the Spartans that resulted in a 21-point victory. MSU will look to do the same thing this year in East Lansing.
The last two weeks of the season will be a gauntlet for Michigan State. In week seven the Spartans will host Ohio State. The defending Big Ten champions were ranked No. 2 in the AP preseason poll led by quarterback Justin Fields. Michigan State will look to defeat the Buckeyes for the first time since 2015.
The Spartans will finish off the year at Penn State on Dec. 12. Despite Penn State’s resurgence as a top team in the Big Ten, MSU has had its way against the Nittany Lions; Michigan State has won two of the last three games.
Here is what the entire Big Ten schedule looks like:
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