Michigan State gets a chance to reset Saturday against a Northwestern team that has a lot more going for it than the usual October Big Ten middleweight.
The Spartans are 2-4 overall and 0-3 in conference play, which makes this a game they badly need. On the other side, No. 25 Northwestern arrives at 4-1 overall and 1-1 in the Big Ten, carrying a real case as one of the league’s more interesting early surprises.
There’s no shortage of angles here. Pat Fitzgerald, who now leads MSU, is a Northwestern alumnus and spent 17 seasons as the Wildcats’ head coach. And Northwestern has its own reason to circle this one, with former Spartan Aidan Chiles now serving as its starting quarterback.
For fans planning to tune in, the game will stream on Peacock, with sports pricing listed at $12.99 per month or $129.99 per year. Paul Burmeister will handle play-by-play with Yogi Roth as analyst and Caroline Pineda on the sidelines.
Radio coverage will be available on MSU’s flagship stations: Lansing on WMMQ (94.9 FM) and WJIM (1240 AM), Detroit on WJR (760 AM), and Grand Rapids on WBFX (101.3 FM). Other stations around Michigan are available online.
SiriusXM will carry the game on channel 85, and the SiriusXM app will also have it on channel 85. George Blaha will call the action alongside Jehuu Caulcrick, with Tre Mosley on the sideline and Dalton Shetler hosting.
Northwestern’s numbers suggest this isn’t just smoke and mirrors. ESPN’s College Football Power Index gives the Wildcats a 14.7% shot at reaching the 12-team College Football Playoff, while Michigan State sits at 9.0% to make a bowl game.
The Wildcats haven’t exactly been dominant in a single phase, but they’ve been steady on both sides. Their scoring offense is seventh in the Big Ten at 35.4 points per game, and their scoring defense ranks sixth at 16.2 points allowed per game.
They’ve also got results on the schedule that make people take notice. Northwestern pushed Indiana in a close road loss and has already logged convincing wins over Colorado and Penn State. Even the win over FCS South Dakota State carries some weight, since ESPN’s SP+ places the Jackrabbits ahead of most G6 teams and even some Power Four programs, including Colorado, Maryland and Rutgers.
This is Year 4 for David Braun, who was originally hired as Northwestern’s defensive coordinator for the 2023 season before taking over as interim head coach after Fitzgerald’s firing. Braun kept the job after guiding Northwestern to an 8-5 record in 2023 and winning Big Ten Coach of the Year honors. He enters Saturday at 23-20 overall, and this will be his first meeting with Michigan State.
In Other News...
Michigan States Loaded Roster Just Got Even More Dangerous
Michigan States offseason buzz has not just been about the new faces arriving in East Lansing. Tom Izzo pointed to Jordan Scott and Jesse McCulloch as the Spartans most improved players, a sign that the returning core is pushing the program forward even before the season starts. McCulloch already flashed that progress in an exhibition game, while Scotts long-term upside has him drawing attention as a potential NBA prospect.
For a team that already brings back key contributors and welcomes a highly ranked freshman class, that kind of internal growth only sharpens the outlook. Izzo has rarely lacked for depth or ambition, but this roster now looks even more difficult to sort out and even harder to guard, which is why Michigan State enters the year with real national-title expectations. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State Suddenly Has A Depth Problem At The Worst Time
Michigan State is heading into its Week 7 matchup with Northwestern carrying a suddenly thin roster, and the timing could hardly be worse. The Spartans are dealing with a long list of injuries on both sides of the ball, leaving them short on proven options at spots where they were already counting on experience and stability.
The concern stretches across the defense and into the offense, with top cornerbacks Tre Bell and Charles Brantley among the unavailable players, along with linebackers Jordan Hall and Brady Pretzlaff. Running back Cam Edwards and backup quarterback Cam Fancher are also out, which means Michigan State will need depth players to hold up against Northwestern and former Spartan quarterback Aidan Chiles in a game that already had enough intrigue before the injury report swelled. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State Faces A Northwestern Problem Fans Havent Seen In Years
Northwestern is bringing a look Michigan State does not see very often, and that is part of what makes this matchup feel different even before kickoff. Under new offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, the Wildcats have leaned into a unique approach that includes wing-T formations and unusual receiver alignments, forcing the Spartans' defense to spend extra time this week sorting through motion, spacing and the kinds of wrinkles that can make a normal game plan feel obsolete.
The setting adds a few more layers to the intrigue, with quarterback Aidan Chiles returning to Spartan Stadium and Michigan State coach Pat Fitzgerald facing his former team. But from the Spartans perspective, the real challenge is less about the names on the field and more about handling an offense built to create confusion. If Michigan State is going to come out clean on the other side, it will need to stay disciplined against a style of football fans around here have not had to think about in years. [Read more 🡒]