Rutgers will get a familiar name back on the 2026 schedule, and it comes with the season ending at home against Michigan State on Nov. 28.
The Scarlet Knights are set to host the Spartans in Piscataway to close out the regular season, renewing a series that sat out for a year. Rutgers has had the upper hand lately, winning the last two matchups, including a 41-14 rout to finish the 2024 season.
Michigan State arrives with a new face in charge. Pat Fitzgerald is taking over as head coach in 2026, bringing his experience back to the Big Ten and into a matchup Rutgers knows well. The former Northwestern coach is no stranger to Rutgers, and the Spartans will be trying to climb back toward the success they’ve had recently.
There will be a different look on offense, too. Michigan State is expected to lean into a more modern spread system, with the run game set to play a major role. The question marks sit at the skill spots, which adds some uncertainty to how the unit will come together.
At quarterback, Alessio Milivojevic is in line to build on the four starts he made to end last season. He’ll be operating in a new scheme and asked to handle different responsibilities than before.
Michigan State heads into 2026 off a 4-8 season, and that backdrop makes the finale against Rutgers even more interesting. The Spartans’ path back to prominence starts with a coaching change, a new offensive identity and a quarterback trying to take the next step.
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For Rutgers, the appeal is obvious: Garavaglia brings defensive value, size on the wing and room to grow once he gets on campus. The broader question is how quickly that upside translates in Piscataway, especially as the program keeps leaning into a roster strategy that mixes development with international experience and asks new arrivals to fit into Pikiells demanding style. [Read more 🡒]
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Bonds was taken in the third round of the 2026 MLB Draft, and his path now leads into a Giants organization that has already shown plenty of interest in Rutgers talent. He also will be joining teammate Trevor Cohen in that system, giving the Scarlet Knights another reminder that the pipeline from Piscataway to pro baseball is not slowing down anytime soon. [Read more 🡒]
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For Rutgers fans, the frustration is less about one result than the way these games keep getting folded into Michigans broader history, alongside other memorable escapes against Indiana and Michigan State. Those matchups have become part of the Wolverines coaching-era story, but they also serve as a reminder that when Rutgers shows up in a game with Michigan, the margin for error can disappear fast and the ending is rarely simple. [Read more 🡒]