Kickoff Time, Streaming Option Chosen for MSU's Game vs. Northwestern
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Michigan State's storyline-packed game against Northwestern has a time slot and a television channel.
The team announced on Monday afternoon that its Week 7 game against the Wildcats on Saturday, Oct. 17, would kick off at noon ET and be a streaming-only game on Peacock. Prior to this game, though, MSU will host Illinois this coming Saturday, and Northwestern will host Ball State.
All Eyes on Fitz, Aidan Chiles
This game has been circled since the moment Michigan State hired Pat Fitzgerald to be its new head football coach this past December. The intrigue only grew when MSU's former starting quarterback, Aidan Chiles, entered the transfer portal and eventually committed to Northwestern.
Fitzgerald has publicly downplayed the personal importance of this upcoming game to him, but keep in mind he practically WAS Northwestern football for a long time. He became one of the best linebackers in college football ever while playing for the Wildcats during the mid-'90s, and then went on to become the program's winningest coach ever. His 110 wins at NU are more than double what any other coach has.
The type of season the Spartans might experience this year was practically an annual thing before Fitzgerald showed up in Evanston. Northwestern made the Rose Bowl in the 1995 season while Fitzgerald was playing, and that was the program's first time just getting over .500 since 1970.
NU fired Fitzgerald before his 18th season in the midst of a hazing scandal within the football program, though. Fitzgerald then sued the school for wrongful termination, settling with Northwestern for an undisclosed amount. The important part, though, is that NU said in an August 2025 statement that evidence "did not establish that any player reported hazing" to Fitzgerald or that he "condoned or directed any hazing."
Chiles' roots aren't at Michigan State the way Fitzgerald's are at Northwestern, but his return to East Lansing is still a massive storyline, too. He'll be the third of three former Spartan quarterbacks who is coming back to Spartan Stadium to face MSU this year, coming after Noah Kim (Eastern Michigan) and Katin Houser (Illinois).
Kim and Houser both started games at points in their times at Michigan State, but they weren't full-time QB1s the way Chiles was at first. Chiles is also eligible for the 2027 season under the NCAA's new 5-in-5 rules, and he seems set to face MSU at the new Ryan Field in Evanston.
Northwestern's Season So Far
Northwestern is also off to a fantastic start this year. The Wildcats have begun 3-1 this year, with the only loss being a very hard-fought 29-23 at No. 5 Indiana. NU's wins are against FCS South Dakota State (34-18), Colorado (41-7), and Penn State (34-13). Those wins against the Buffaloes and the Nittany Lions, both at home, are particularly impressive. Northwestern dominated those games both physically and on the scoreboard.
It's also tough news for Michigan State, which has the worst statistical offense in the Power Four, that Chiles has been great for NU. He's been responsible for 11 touchdowns by himself (6 passing, 5 rushing) without throwing an interception. MSU has scored just nine touchdowns as a team through five games, with only two of them coming in its three games vs. Power Four competition.
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A 2025 graduate from Michigan State University, Cotsonika brings a wealth of experience covering the Spartans from Rivals and On3 to his role as Michigan State Spartans Beat Writer on SI. At Michigan State, he was also a member of the world-renowned Spartan marching band for two seasons.
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