Michigan State gets kickoff time announced for Wisconsin matchup

Michigan State will make its first Big Ten road trip of the season on Oct. 3 when it visits Wisconsin at Camp Randall Stadium. The Big Ten announced Monday that kickoff is set for 12:30 p.m. ET (11:30 a.m. local) and that the game will be carried on the Big Ten Network. It was not immediately clear at time of publication why the network is opting for yet another kickoff outside the normal standard for start times.

It will be the Spartans' earliest kickoff of the year. MSU has played a Friday night opener against Toledo, a 3:30 p.m. game against Eastern Michigan, and a prime-time game at Notre Dame during its non-conference slate. Its Big Ten opener against Nebraska this upcoming weekend is set for 5 p.m. on BTN.

The trip will be the first Big Ten road test for head coach Pat Fitzgerald. MSU is 2-1 after a 30-20 win over Toledo and a 35-7 win over EMU, then a 27-10 loss at then No. 3 ND on Saturday, the first defeat of Fitzgerald's tenure at MSU. Before heading to Madison, the Spartans host UNL this Saturday, Sept. 26. The Huskers enter that matchup 3-0 having escaped non-conference play undefeated.

The Badgers, led by fourth-year coach Luke Fickell, are also 2-1. They lost 41-13 to Fighting Irish in their season opener, then beat Western Illinois 36-9 and EMU 54-10. In that last game, quarterback Colton Joseph set a program record with 302 first-half passing yards, and receiver Tyrell Henry set a school record with 14 catches. Wisconsin opens Big Ten play this Saturday at Penn State, a game that kicks off at 5 p.m. ET on Peacock. The Nittany Lions enter that game 3-0.

The two teams share a pair of common opponents this season. Both beat the EMU Eagles (MSU 35-7, Wisconsin 54-10), and both lost to Notre Dame (MSU 27-10, Wisconsin 41-13).

The Spartans lead the all-time series 30-24 across 55 meetings. The teams last met on Oct. 15, 2022, when the Spartans beat the Badgers 34-28 in double overtime at Spartan Stadium.