Michigan State’s slide has turned a home game against Illinois into something even uglier than a simple Big Ten matchup.
The Spartans are back in East Lansing for a Week 6 meeting with a fellow 2-3 team, but the opening line tells the real story. Michigan State is a home underdog against Illinois, a team that just fired its defensive coordinator after a 42-19 loss to Ohio State in Week 4 and then followed that with a 24-17 home loss to Purdue, the Big Ten’s worst team. Even with those issues, Illinois is still laying points on the road.
That’s the kind of number that says plenty about where Michigan State stands right now.
The Spartans opened the year 2-0, then unraveled fast. They’ve dropped three straight, including a 31-3 loss to Wisconsin on Saturday afternoon.
Before that came an 18-point home defeat to Nebraska, which followed a 17-point road loss to No. 3 Notre Dame.
Each week has looked worse than the one before, and the program’s current form has made this one of the more lopsided-looking “even” conference games on the Week 6 slate.
Pat Fitzgerald knows the expectations aren’t being met, and he’s committed to fixing it. Still, he’ll have to do it with his team sitting in the unusual and uncomfortable spot of being a home underdog.
That’s not a new feeling for Michigan State, which also entered the Nebraska game in that role two weeks ago. But it hits differently this time because Illinois is hardly rolling. The Illini are struggling too, yet Vegas still isn’t buying the Spartans’ chances.
That’s where the real indictment lands. Michigan State is 2-3, and the oddsmakers are treating it like a team with little left to offer. The Spartans actually held their own against a top-five team on the road, but that hasn’t been enough to earn much respect.
There is one sliver of hope in all of this: things can’t keep going the way they have. Michigan State’s offense has been one of the worst in the Big Ten, and the defense seems to get worse every week, a frustrating development for anyone still backing Joe Rossi.
Injuries haven’t helped, either. But even with all that stacked against them, improvement doesn’t have to mean a miracle.
It might just mean becoming average.
That’s not exactly a glamorous goal, but for Michigan State right now, it’s about as realistic as it gets.
In Other News...
Michigan State Volleyball Is Getting National Attention For A Big Reason
Michigan State volleyball is back in the national conversation, and Malayah Long is a big reason why. The redshirt sophomore setter was named Big Ten Setter of the Week for the first time after helping power a 2-0 conference weekend, capped by a career-best 65 assists against USC.
The recognition comes at a time when the Spartans are starting to draw wider attention again, with Michigan State checking in at No. 22 in the AVCA Coaches Poll for its first national ranking since 2018. For a program looking to reestablish itself among the Big Tens top groups, Longs rise gives the Spartans another sign that this start may be worth watching closely. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State Is Getting The Kind Of Preseason Respect Fans Crave
The preseason buzz around Michigan State is starting to sound like the kind of respect Spartan fans have been waiting to hear. In a poll of 28 media members conducted by The Columbus Dispatch, Tom Izzos team was picked to finish second in the Big Ten for the 2026-27 college basketball season, a sign that the league expects the Spartans to be right in the mix again after bringing back key pieces and adding to the roster.
Jeremy Fears Jr. was also a major presence in the voting, earning Preseason Player of the Year honors and standing alone as the only unanimous First Team All-Big Ten selection. With Coen Carr back and Anton Bonke arriving from the transfer portal, Michigan State has the kind of returning talent and fresh help that can fuel a serious run, even if the real test will come once the games start and the conference race begins to sort itself out. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Already Looks Like A Real Big Ten Problem For MSU
Michigans backcourt is already looking like one of the early storylines in the Big Ten, and that matters plenty for Michigan State. Elliot Cadeau, a senior point guard and Final Four Most Outstanding Player, and Trey McKenney, a sophomore coming off All-Freshman Team honors, were both picked for the 2026-27 Preseason All-Big Ten Team, giving the Wolverines a pair of recognized pieces before the league even tips off.
For Michigan, the nods add to a program history that now includes 26 players earning preseason All-Big Ten recognition, and it is one of only three conference teams with multiple selections this time around. For the Spartans, it is another reminder that the race at the top of the league is shaping up to be crowded, with Michigan already carrying the kind of preseason credibility that can make head-to-head meetings feel even bigger. [Read more 🡒]