Michigan State’s path back to bowl eligibility is narrow, messy and full of traps.
Through four weeks, the Spartans are 2-2 overall and 0-1 in Big Ten play, and the road ahead doesn’t offer much relief. They haven’t played in a bowl game since 2021, and even getting back to one this season would be a meaningful lift for a program still trying to steady itself. The problem is obvious: they need four more wins, and the schedule is packed with conference opponents that are anything but forgiving.
Here’s what’s left:
Oct. 3: at Wisconsin - 12:30 p.m. ET
Oct. 10: Illinois - Time TBA
Oct. 17: Northwestern - Time TBA
Oct. 24: at UCLA - Time TBA
Nov. 7: at Michigan - Time TBA
Nov. 14: Washington - Time TBA
Nov. 20: Oregon - 8 p.m. ET
Nov. 28: at Rutgers - Time TBA
There are no easy dates on that list, though Rutgers may be the friendliest one. The hardest matchups appear to be Oregon, Michigan and Illinois, which leaves Michigan State hunting for the kind of wins that usually require either sharp execution or a little chaos.
The clearest route to six victories starts with Rutgers, Northwestern, Washington and UCLA. Even that doesn’t feel safe. The Spartans may not be favored in any of those games, or at least not many of them.
Northwestern used to look like one of the more attainable spots on the schedule, outside of Rutgers. That changed after former Spartan Aidan Chiles helped reshape how people view the Wildcats. Northwestern also just hung close with the reigning national champion Indiana Hoosiers on Friday, which only made the matchup look tougher.
Michigan is another possibility, at least on paper, after its walk-off loss to Iowa on Saturday. But Iowa is a top-15 team, and Michigan State still has to prove it can take advantage of a game like that. The Wolverines are beatable, and rivalry games always carry extra edge, but leaving Ann Arbor with a win would still count as a major upset.
Oregon looms even larger. Dante Moore, Oregon’s starting quarterback, took a brutal hit, and if he is back by the time the Ducks meet Michigan State, that game becomes one of the steepest climbs left on the schedule.
Illinois could also be in play. The Fighting Illini just went toe-to-toe with Ohio State, which says plenty about where they belong in the Big Ten. It also showed some cracks, and those are the kinds of openings Michigan State would need to exploit.
UCLA and Washington may be the other chances to circle. The trip to Los Angeles adds another layer of difficulty, but UCLA has been inconsistent enough to make that game one the Spartans can realistically compete in. Washington, on the other hand, comes to East Lansing, and that home setting could matter in a game that may carry real weight for Michigan State’s postseason hopes.
The bigger picture is simple: the Spartans have to find four more wins in a brutal closing stretch. That probably means handling Rutgers and then stealing a few games they’re not supposed to win. It’s a steep ask for a team still trying to figure out what it is under Pat Fitzgerald.
Michigan State has shown flashes over the first month, but consistency has been hard to find. Injuries have only made the picture murkier, and the Big Ten leaves almost no margin for error.
The Spartans don’t need perfection. They just need four more wins.
The question is where those wins are going to come from.
In Other News...
Michigan State Now Faces A Bigger Problem Than The Nebraska Loss
The Nebraska loss itself was ugly enough for Michigan State, but the bigger concern coming out of Lincoln was the damage done to the roster. The Spartans were already thin in key spots, and the injury situation started before kickoff when starting cornerback Tre Bell was hurt in warmups and never made it into the game.
It only got worse from there. Running back Cam Edwards and offensive lineman Connor Moore went down on the same play, and defensive leader Jordan Hall also left with a leg injury after being taken off the field on a cart, leaving Michigan State with plenty to sort through beyond the final score. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State Faces A Bigger Offensive Problem Than Fans Feared
Michigan States offense has looked increasingly out of sync over the last few games, and the numbers underline just how much work remains. Through four games, the Spartans have managed only 88 points and nine touchdowns, both among the lowest marks in the Big Ten, while quarterback Alessio Milivojevic has been dealing with plenty of pressure, sacks and interceptions as the unit struggles to find any sort of rhythm.
The bigger concern is that the problems have not been limited to execution. Injuries have already thinned out the group and left the staff trying to patch together answers on the fly, with the offensive line and backfield both taking hits that make every snap feel a little more fragile. Michigan State is still searching for stability, but the margin for error keeps shrinking as the offense tries to get healthy enough to even resemble what it was supposed to be. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State Suddenly Faces A Depth Chart Test Against Wisconsin
Michigan State left its trip to Nebraska with more than one injury concern, and the timing could not be worse with Wisconsin next on the schedule. Running back Cam Edwards and linebacker Jordan Hall were among the players hurt in the game, leaving the Spartans to sort through a depth chart that may look different by the time they line up again.
The backfield is especially worth watching because backup Jaziun Patterson handled relief work well after Edwards exited, and the staff is already leaning on him as it prepares for the next matchup. The bigger question now is how Michigan State will piece together its roster across the board if the injury list forces more changes, with the full extent of those setbacks still unclear. [Read more 🡒]