3 Early Notes on MSU's Season Opener vs. Toledo

Here are some things to know about the Spartans' opener this coming fall.

April 18, 2026; East Lansing, Mich.; Michigan State Spartans head coach Pat Fitzgerald patrols the field during his team's "Spring Showcase" at Spartan Stadium. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

Football season will be here sooner than later.

Michigan State is now 108 days away from the first game of its 2026 season against Toledo on Friday, Sept. 4. Some quick math indicates that the offseason is now a little more than 60% over. While we all wait, here are a few things to know about MSU's Week 1 matchup.

Two First-Year Head Coaches

Michigan State Spartans head football coach Pat Fitzgerald points while introducing himself to the crowd at a men's basketball game against the Iowa Hawkeyes on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025. Fitzgerald was officially hired by MSU on Monday. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

This game will be a true "Week 1" for both teams. The Spartans, of course, will be debuting new head coach Pat Fitzgerald, who was away from college coaching for three seasons after serving as the head coach at Northwestern for 17 years. Fitzgerald went 110-101 overall during his time in Evanston, going 65-76 during Big Ten play with two conference title game appearances and five AP top-25 finishes.

Debuting for Toledo will be Mike Jacobs. He's previously been the head coach of Division II Notre Dame College, D-II Lenoir-Rhyne, and FCS-level Mercer. Across that time, Jacobs has accumulated a stellar 94-23 record. He went 20-6 overall during his two seasons at Mercer, including 15-1 in SoCon play. The Bears made the FCS playoffs during both of his years there, finishing No. 7 and 18 in the final polls.

Century-Old Drought

Oct 25, 2025; Pullman, Washington, USA; Toledo Rockets helmet sits during a game against the Washington State Cougars in the second half at Gesa Field at Martin Stadium. | James Snook-Imagn Images

It's pretty stunning, since the two schools are less than two hours away, but Week 1 will be the first time Michigan State and Toledo will battle on the same field in 101 years. The only previous meeting was way back on Nov. 7, 1925 — a 58-0 victory for Michigan State College ("University" wasn't added to the name until 1955).

For whatever reason, the two teams haven't played since that day. Big schools in Michigan haven't been too eager to add the Rockets to their schedules. Toledo didn't face Michigan for the first time until 2008 and actually won the game. This go-around, Michigan State will pay Toledo $1.3 million for the game.

Portal Connections

Michigan State's Armorion Smith celebrates after tackling Boston College's Lewis Bond during the first quarter on Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

You also see players face their former teams a lot more often in the transfer portal era. Both MSU and Toledo will have players experiencing that during this fall's meeting. The Spartans have defensive lineman Carlos Hazelwood, who was mostly a reserve for the Rockets last season.

Toledo now has former Michigan State safety Armorion Smith. He played a fair amount for MSU last season, partially due to injuries to Nikai Martinez, starting seven games while appearing in all 12. He made 35 total tackles, recovered a fumble against Boston College, forced another against USC, and intercepted a pass against Youngstown State.

April 18, 2026; East Lansing, Mich.; Michigan State Spartans head coach Pat Fitzgerald gets his whistle ready during the "Spring Showcase" at Spartan Stadium. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI