MSU Football Replaces Lost Game vs. Louisiana, Full 2024 Schedule Set

The Spartans fill an open spot on their 2024 schedule, and the full slate is set for head coach Jonathan Smith's debut season in East Lansing...

Author:
Matthew Lounsberry
Publish date:
Feb 8, 2024 5:00 PM EST

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Michigan State Spartans

Michigan State football's 2024 schedule is back to 12 games as the Spartans prepare for Year 1 under new head coach Jonathan Smith.

MSU had an open slot in Week 3 of its schedule after Louisiana backed out of a game scheduled for Sept. 14 in East Lansing. On Wednesday, Michigan State football's official social media accounts revealed the Spartans are now set to host Prairie View A&M, an FCS school, that weekend. The Panthers are coming off a 6-6 season in 2023.

Michigan State and Louisiana agreed to their matchup in May 2021 but, according to a report from the Detroit Free Press, the Ragin' Cajuns cancelled the game in order to add a Sept. 28 matchup against Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons had an open spot to fill after a game originally scheduled against Army (Nov. 16) was undone by the service academy's move to the American Athletic Conference.

With limited options to fill its Week 3 opening, Michigan State turned to the FCS ranks in order to fill its schedule and landed on Prairie View A&M. It will be the first-ever matchup between the Spartans and the Panthers, but the third time in the last four years that Michigan State will play an FCS program in the regular season (Richmond, 2023; Youngstown State, 2021).

The Spartans will bring in the Jonathan Smith era with a home game against Florida Atlantic on Aug. 31. MSU then travels to Maryland for its first Big Ten Conference game in Week 2 on Sept. 7, following by the home game against Prairie View. From there, Michigan State travels to Boston College (Sept. 21) before returning to conference play in earnest with matchups against Ohio State (Sept. 28) and at Oregon (Oct. 5).

Following a "bye" week, the Spartans continue Big Ten play with a road trip to Michigan (Oct. 26) sandwiched between home games against Iowa (Oct. 19) and Indiana (Nov. 2). After a second "bye", Michigan State concludes its 2024 regular season with a road game at Illinois (Nov. 16) followed by back-to-back home tilts against Purdue (Nov. 23) and Rutgers (Nov. 30).