Michigan State opens a new era Friday night, and the first test comes with some real teeth. Pat Fitzgerald makes his debut with a rebuilt roster against Toledo, a Rockets team that arrives in East Lansing with a reputation for winning and a roster Fitzgerald called a tough draw in Week 1.
“We are playing a perennial MAC Championship program. They know how to win, they brought in the No. 1 transfer portal class in the MAC.
This is a storied program, as you look at their talent. It's a hard matchup in week one.”
That’s the backdrop for a season opener that should tell us plenty about where Michigan State stands under its new coach. The Spartans went 1-8 in Big Ten play last season, then turned over much of the roster and staff. The result is a group that looks heavily remade, with Ben Murawski and Trent Fraley set to be important pieces up front and Cam Edwards arriving to give the offense another major name to watch.
But the player who may matter most is Alessio Milivojevic. He took over as Michigan State’s starter for the final four games last season and helped the Spartans play better down the stretch, finishing with a win over Maryland.
Now he enters this year as the unquestioned QB1, and the numbers back up the idea that he can handle the pressure. According to PFF, Milivojevic received the second-highest pressure grade among incoming Big Ten quarterbacks.
Toledo, though, is not coming in to play the role of warm-up opponent. The Rockets are viewed as one of the MAC’s best teams and are favored to win the conference. That has shown up in the betting market as well, with Michigan State’s spread moving from -10.5 to -9.5.
Even with that respect for Toledo, the call here is that Michigan State gets the job done. The Spartans are expected to start the Pat Fitzgerald era with a win, and the belief is that their talent, home-field edge and the energy around this first game will be enough to separate late after Toledo keeps it tight early.
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Michigan State soccer left South Bend with a draw that felt a lot bigger than one point, rallying for a 2-2 finish against Notre Dame in a match packed with pressure at both ends. Kayla Briggs and Reese Canada both found the net for the Spartans, and the game had the kind of back-and-forth stretches that kept both defenses busy and both attacks on alert.
Ella Janz delivered the moment Michigan State will remember, scoring the tying goal in the final seconds to salvage the result. Notre Dame still had a chance to steal it late, but Izzy Engle missed a penalty kick, leaving the Spartans with a hard-earned escape after a night that swung on just a few decisive plays. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State Opens New Era With One Big Question On Offense
Michigan State is kicking off a new season with a fresh sideline voice and a familiar concern on offense. Pat Fitzgerald takes over for the Spartans as they open at Spartan Stadium against Toledo, and the backdrop is not especially forgiving after a year that left Michigan State projected near the bottom of the Big Ten. The opener also brings a chance to see how quickly Fitzgerald can settle things down in a program trying to find its footing.
Much of the attention will land on quarterback Alessio Milivojevic, who is expected to guide the offense after taking over late last season. Toledo arrives with its own reset under new coach Mike Jacobs after Jason Candles departure, so both teams are trying to define themselves at the same time. For the Spartans, the bigger question is whether the early version of this offense can give Fitzgerald enough to build on before conference play starts to sharpen the pressure. [Read more 🡒]
Ex-Spartan Nick Marsh Is Suddenly Worth Watching Even More
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For Spartan fans, it is another reminder of how quickly a talented player can change the conversation by changing uniforms. Marsh already has enough college production to show he belongs on draft radars, and analyst Nate Tice currently lists him No. 24 on a 2027 NFL Draft big board, but Indiana offers the kind of national visibility that can make a good profile even more interesting. The next step is obvious, even if the exact ceiling is not. [Read more 🡒]