Michigan State’s own 35-7 win over Eastern Michigan was the headliner for the Spartans last weekend, but the rest of the schedule gave plenty to chew on too. With two games now in the books under Pat Fitzgerald, MSU has at least gotten a first look at how the rest of its 2026 slate is shaping up, and this week brought a little bit of everything: routine blowouts, a few uneasy escapes, and one result that really jumps off the page.
The cleanest takeaway belongs to Michigan. The Wolverines knocked off Oklahoma 17-10 in what qualifies as the best result any of MSU’s future opponents posted this week.
Bryce Underwood set the tone with a 38-yard touchdown run on the opening drive, and while the passing game stayed quiet - 111 yards and no touchdown throws on 9-of-17 passing - the defense did the heavy lifting. Michigan finished with three sacks, a fumble recovery, and a fourth-quarter interception that set up the go-ahead score.
It’s the kind of win that leaves you still trying to figure out exactly what this team is.
Oregon, meanwhile, produced the opposite kind of headline. The Ducks fell 39-31 to Oklahoma State, a result that looks even rougher when you consider Oklahoma State had just lost to Tulsa the week before.
The Cowboys piled up 554 total yards and held the ball for more than 36 minutes, while Oregon managed only 281 total yards and too many empty trips. A 96-yard pick-six helped keep the final margin from getting uglier, but this was still a jarring night for Dan Lanning’s team.
Illinois also had a frustrating Saturday. The Illini led Duke 24-14 in the second quarter before the Blue Devils scored the game’s final 17 points to win 31-27. Katin Houser was sharp enough to keep Illinois in it, throwing for 271 yards and three touchdowns on 24-of-36 passing, but the stat sheet still told a painful story: Illinois held the ball for 33:14 to Duke’s 26:46 and lost anyway, a sign of how inefficient the defense was after halftime.
Washington had a messy win, even if the scoreboard says otherwise. The Huskies edged Utah State 16-14 while controlling possession for 35:05 and forcing three interceptions, but the offense never fully took charge.
Demond Williams Jr. threw for 249 yards on 26-of-41 passing without a touchdown, and Washington also missed a field goal in a game it led by single scores throughout the second half. That follows a shaky showing in the Apple Cup as well.
Rutgers is already in trouble at 0-2 after a 28-21 loss to Boston College, coming on the heels of an opening defeat to UMass. The Scarlet Knights fought back after falling behind 14-0 right away, but it wasn’t enough to change the outcome.
A few other opponents took care of business without giving much away. Notre Dame rolled past Rice 52-0, Nebraska handled Bowling Green 56-7, Wisconsin beat Western Illinois 36-9, and UCLA topped San Diego State 28-10.
None of those results raised alarms, but none of them really answered much either. Northwestern remains the lone mystery, having been idle this week after beating South Dakota State 34-18 on Sept.
For now, Michigan’s win over Oklahoma stands as the week’s biggest result among MSU’s future opponents. Oregon’s loss is the one that looks worst.
Illinois, Washington, and Rutgers all left behind more questions than answers, while Notre Dame, Nebraska, Wisconsin, and UCLA mostly just went through the motions. Northwestern, with no fresh data point, is still the wild card.
In Other News...
Tom Izzo May Have Just Moved Ahead For A Huge 2027 Target
Michigan State used a recent recruiting weekend to put two of its top 2027 targets in front of Tom Izzo and his staff, welcoming five-star point guard Antonio Pemberton and four-star center Jaydn Jenkins to campus. The timing mattered, too, with the Spartans continuing to lean into early evaluation and relationship-building as they try to position themselves well for a class that is still taking shape.
Now there is real momentum to monitor with Pemberton, the No. 23 overall prospect in the 2027 class. A report from Joe Tipton suggests Michigan State has emerged as the favorite for the top-25 recruit, a sign that the Spartans may have moved ahead in a recruitment that still has room to evolve. For a program that has long sold player development and trust, landing in front this early is the kind of progress Izzo wants to see. [Read more 🡒]
Brady Pretzlaff Just Took On A Bigger Michigan State Role
Michigan State is off to a 2-0 start in its first season under Pat Fitzgerald, and the latest win came with a familiar test for a defense trying to establish its identity early. In a 35-7 victory over Eastern Michigan at Spartan Stadium, the Spartans got another strong team showing, but the day also created room for a different voice to emerge when the defense needed one.
With Jordan Hall unavailable, redshirt sophomore Brady Pretzlaff handled a larger responsibility and spoke afterward about stepping into the moment, the standards Michigan State expects on defense and how much it means just to be back on the field. For a program still settling in under a new coach, that kind of growth matters almost as much as the scoreboard, especially when the next stretch will ask even more from the players now carrying the load. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State Is Counting On Anton Bonke To Silence One Doubt
Michigan States interior picture is taking shape around Anton Bonke, the 7-foot-2 transfer from Charlotte who is expected to step in as the starting center after Carson Cooper. Tom Izzo has shown plenty of confidence in Bonke, and the Spartans are banking on the blend of size, development and continuity that has long been part of the programs identity. Bonke is also expected to help ease the transition for incoming freshman Ethan Taylor, which adds another layer to why his role matters so much early.
Still, there is a bit of outside skepticism attached to the assignment. College Basketball Report left Bonke off its Top 30 centers in college basketball, even as several Big Ten big men earned spots on the list, underscoring how much Michigan State is asking him to prove right away. For a program that tends to trust its own developmental track, Bonkes season will be about more than simply filling minutes in the middle. [Read more 🡒]