Michigan State’s season opener comes with a weather wrinkle: fans heading to East Lansing on Friday night should expect rain around the Spartans’ matchup with Toledo.
The Spartans kick off under the lights at 8 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 4, at Spartan Stadium, and the forecast calls for warm, humid, wet conditions. Temperatures are expected to sit in the low 70s and 80s before kickoff, with an overnight low of 65 degrees.
The National Weather Service says scattered rain is possible, with thunderstorms in the forecast before the game and continuing through the night. Wind could also be part of the picture.
That could make tailgating a little tougher, and Michigan State officials have already adjusted for the conditions. Because of excessive recent rain and ground conditions unsuitable for heavy traffic, Munn Field is closed to parking for tonight’s game. Parking passes for Munn Field will be honored in any public lot, and patrons will automatically receive a refund for the difference in cost within 2-5 business days.
On the field, Michigan State opens the Pat Fitzgerald era after a 4-8 season and the firing of former head coach Jonathan Smith. Toledo arrives after an 8-5 season in the Mid-American Conference under head coach Jason Candle. Mike Jacobs was hired in December 2025 to take over the program.
For fans watching from home, the game will air on FS1 and can also be streamed on Fox One or Fubo. It is also available through live broadcast radio and streaming services.
The Spartan Media Network will carry the broadcast, including WJR in Detroit, WBFX and WMAX in Grand Rapids, and WMMQ and WVFN in Lansing. The game is also on the MSU Athletics Mobile App and SiriusXM channel 232 for the MSU broadcast.
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Pat Fitzgerald Already Faces Michigan State's Biggest Year 1 Test
Pat Fitzgerald is back in college football, and the first big job waiting for him at Michigan State is less about installing a scheme than restoring a sense of who the Spartans want to be. After three years away from the college game, Fitzgerald arrives with a reputation for toughness and structure, and the early conversation around the program has centered on rebuilding the teams identity from the ground up. A lot of that will start with the quarterback room, where Alessio Milivojevic has emerged as an important figure heading into the season.
The pressure around Year 1 rarely waits for conference play, and Fitzgeralds opening test comes immediately against Toledo. It is the kind of first game that can shape the tone of an entire tenure, especially for a coach trying to put his stamp on a program before the real grind begins. For Michigan State, the questions are not just about how quickly Fitzgerald can make his mark, but whether the pieces already in place can show early signs that the rebuild is headed in the right direction. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State Opener Will Reveal If This Rebuild Is Ready
The season opener offers an early read on two first-year staffs coming at roster building from very different angles. Toledo coach Jacobs is making the jump from FCS to FBS with a group shaped heavily by transfers from his previous program, while Michigan State coach Fitzgerald arrives with plenty of major-college experience but no shortcuts in reconstructing a roster. It is the kind of matchup that says as much about spring and summer work as it does about opening-night football.
For Michigan State, the game is less about reputation and more about how quickly a new team has learned to function as one. The Spartans have spent months trying to blend newcomers with an entirely new staff, and Toledo will provide a useful measure of whether that process has taken hold. The result will not settle everything about either program, but it should tell the Spartans a lot about how ready this rebuild really is. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State Is Making A Sideline Change Fans Will Notice Fast
Michigan State is making a sideline adjustment this fall that should be obvious the moment the Spartans take the field. Offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan and defensive coordinator Joe Rossi will be down on the field during games, a change from last season when both coordinators were working from the press box before Rossi eventually moved to the sideline in the middle of the year.
The shift comes as the NCAA has removed the rule that had limited the number of coaches, opening the door for Michigan State to carry 31 coaches and use additional staff in the press box to help communicate information. For a program trying to sharpen operation and get everyone in the right place before the snap, the setup gives the Spartans a different kind of game-day structure, even if the bigger question is still how much smoother it will make everything once the season starts. [Read more 🡒]