Michigan State’s Week 7 matchup comes with a little extra intrigue: a reunion day in East Lansing, a short-handed Spartans roster, and a Northwestern team that has quietly put together some momentum.
The Spartans, sitting at 2-4 overall and 0-3 in the Big Ten, host the Wildcats on Saturday, Oct. 17, at Spartan Stadium. Kickoff is set for noon ET, with the game airing on NBC Sports Network.
For viewers in Detroit on Xfinity, that means channel 1211. Streaming options include Peacock and Fubo.
Michigan State is trying to shake off a brutal 38-37 overtime loss to Illinois in Week 6, a game that left the Spartans dealing with multiple injuries. Starting linebackers Jordan Hall and Brady Pretzlaff are out for this week, and Michigan State will also be without left tackle Ben Murawski and backup quarterback Cam Fancher.
Northwestern enters on a two-game winning streak after home wins over Penn State and Ball State. The Wildcats are being led by former Michigan State quarterback Aidan Chiles, who has completed 71.4% of his passes, thrown nine touchdowns and no interceptions through five games. That figure leads the Big Ten.
There’s also a notable coaching storyline attached to this one. Michigan State coach Pat Fitzgerald played at Northwestern and later coached there from 2006-22 before coming to the Spartans this past season. He was, by many measures, the most successful coach in Northwestern history, though his start at Michigan State has not gone smoothly.
For fans looking to tune in, some will need to stream the game since NBCSN is only available through traditional TV providers on Xfinity. Peacock and Fubo are the alternatives.
Michigan State’s 2026 schedule continues after Saturday with a trip to UCLA on Oct. 24, then a bye week, followed by road games at Michigan and Rutgers and home dates against Washington and Oregon. The Oregon game is set for Friday, Nov. 20, at 8 p.m. ET on Fox.
In Other News...
Michigan State Has 3 Big Roster Questions Against UConn
Michigan State gets a useful early measuring stick when it hosts UConn at Breslin Center in a preseason exhibition, and the Spartans have a few roster questions worth watching long before the games count. Freshman center Ethan Taylor, sophomore Cam Ward and freshman two-guard Jasiah Jervis all stand out as players who could shape how this team looks once the 2026-27 season arrives, with each bringing a different kind of intrigue after what they have already shown.
For Tom Izzo, this is less about the final score than about what the rotation starts to reveal. Taylors presence inside, Wards sophomore leap and Jervis fit on the perimeter all give Michigan State something to evaluate against a high-level opponent, and UConn should provide a real stress test for where those pieces stand. The Spartans will leave the exhibition with answers, but probably not all of them. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State May Finally Have The Defensive Front Fans Wanted
Michigan States defensive front looked more like the unit fans had been waiting for in the win over Northwestern, with several players drawing strong Pro Football Focus grades and the group showing the kind of disruption that had been missing at times earlier in the season. Under recently hired coach Winston DeLattiboudere, the line has taken noticeable steps forward, and the Spartans are seeing a blend of veteran presence and younger pieces start to come together.
What makes the performance matter is that it did not feel like a one-game outlier so much as another sign of a room that is being developed the right way. The staff has been encouraged by the progress up front, and with that mix of experience and growth, Michigan State may be closer to having the defensive line it has been trying to build for a while. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State Has One Costly Problem It Can't Keep Wasting
Alessio Milivojevic gave Michigan State a little bit of everything in the loss to Northwestern, and that has become part of the problem for a team trying to stop the slide. Pat Fitzgerald pointed to the quarterbacks touchdown passes as proof the offense can still find answers, but he also noted the missed opportunities that left the Spartans with too much wasted potential in a game they needed to squeeze for everything it was worth.
Now comes UCLA, a matchup that adds another layer of uncertainty with backup Ty Dieffenbach having recently started because of an injury to the Bruins starter. Fitzgerald offered his read on both quarterbacks as Michigan State turns the page, but the larger issue remains the same: the Spartans cannot keep letting usable chances slip away and expect a losing streak to sort itself out. [Read more 🡒]