Michigan To Host Rival Michigan State Under the Lights — Again — With a Wrinkle

The Wolverines have learned when they will take on rival Michigan State

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Surely the 5-3 Michigan Wolverines wouldn't have a night game against two-win Michigan State. Well, it will be.

For the fifth year in a row, the Wolverines will take on the Spartans under the lights. After taking down Rutgers on Saturday, Michigan will return to the friendly confines of Ann Arbor to take on its bitter rival.

But for fans, you either need to be there, or have streaming. That's right, Michigan will play Michigan State at 7:30 p.m. ET next weekend, but it's not going to be the NBC game. That's because the Wolverines will play under the lights against the Spartans on Peacock.

Next Saturday’s Kick Time Announced pic.twitter.com/YWcDg68oFJ

— Michigan Football (@UMichFootball) November 1, 2026

Kyle Whittingham's first game against MSU

Both coaches are new to the rivalry — sort of. Pat Fitzgerald now coaches Michigan State, but he was a long-time Northwestern coach, so he knows all about facing the Wolverines in Ann Arbor. But it's on a different level now that he coaches for the Spartans.

As for Kyle Whittingham, it's his first season in the Big Ten and has zero experience with what this rivalry is like. He knows that Ohio State is the Wolverines' biggest rival, and that MSU is the second in line.

"Well, I know it's clearly the second most important rivalry that we have," said Whittingham. "I know Coach Fitzgerald very well. Great football coach. Respect him. I think he's terrific. And, you know, we'll dive into the personnel and everything tomorrow.

"I haven't had a chance to watch much of him this year because of timing and all that stuff, so I haven't had a chance to get eyes on him, but we certainly will tomorrow. So we've got a lot better answer on Monday in the press conference than we can right now."

All-time history

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Michigan has dominated the series against the Spartans. The Wolverines hold a 64-36-4 all-time record against Michigan State, and in the last meetings, Michigan is 7-3, while winning the last four games.

As mentioned before, the last four games have been at night and that's led to extracurricular events. The Michigan tunnel was in the middle of things during the 2022 season in Ann Arbor — the first night game between the two teams.

The last time the two teams met in the middle of the day was in 2021, when Michigan State last beat the Wolverines in East Lansing.

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