Michigan State gets kickoff time announced for Northwestern game
The Spartans will host the Wildcats for a noon start on Peacock.
Michigan State will host Northwestern on Oct. 17 at Spartan Stadium, and kickoff is set for noon ET. The Big Ten matchup will stream on Peacock. It's the Spartans' "Go Green, Wear White" game.
Noon is the earliest start on Michigan State's schedule so far this season, ahead of the 12:30 p.m. ET kickoff at Wisconsin on Oct. 3. The Spartans host Illinois for Homecoming on Oct. 10 (3:30 p.m., FS1) before this game.
Michigan State is 2-3 overall and 0-2 in the Big Ten. The Spartans opened with a 30-20 win over Toledo and a 35-7 win over Eastern Michigan. They have since lost three straight: 27-10 at then-No. 3 Notre Dame, 31-13 to Nebraska, and 31-3 at Wisconsin.
NU is 3-1 (1-1 Big Ten) under fourth-year coach David Braun, who signed a contract extension through 2031 in September. The Wildcats beat South Dakota State 34-18 and Colorado 41-7, then lost 29-23 at then-No. 5 Indiana, the defending national champion. On Friday they opened the new Ryan Field with a 34-13 win over Penn State, rushing for 413 yards. NU hosts Ball State on Oct. 10 before traveling to East Lansing.
The game brings two reunions. NU quarterback Aidan Chiles made 20 starts for MSU in 2024 and 2025 before transferring to Evanston after Jonathan Smith's firing. He was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week after throwing for three touchdowns and running for two more against the Buffaloes, the final game at NU's temporary lakeside stadium used while Ryan Field was demolished and rebuilt, and he threw for 293 yards at IU. On the other sideline, Spartans coach Pat Fitzgerald was a linebacker during his college career before later leading Northwestern for 17 years as the head coach before his firing in July 2023. This will be his first game against his former program.
The teams have no common opponent so far this season.
Michigan State leads the all-time series 41-18, including a 19-9 mark in East Lansing. The Spartans have won three straight in the series, most recently 38-21 in Evanston on Sept. 3, 2021. This will be the first meeting since then. The last game in East Lansing was a 29-20 MSU win on Nov. 28, 2020.
