Breaking Down MSU Football's Four Remaining Opponents

With four games left in the season, a lot has been revealed about MSU's remaining schedule.

Michigan State’s head coach Pat Fitzgerald celebrates after a touchdown under review was upheld during the third quarter against Illinois on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

If anyone said the Spartans would have a shot at winning all of their final four games of the season at the beginning of the year, they would have been called crazy. Not only is there the rivalry game between MSU and the Michigan Wolverines, but there would also have been the monster match against a highly ranked Oregon team to worry about.

However, things have been shaken up now that the season has been in full swing for a couple of months, and some of the matchups have changed strength-wise while some losses have proved to be higher quality than originally thought. So who has gotten better, and who has gotten worse in MSU's remaining schedule?

The Michigan Wolverines: Worse

Oct 17, 2026; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Michigan State Spartans head coach Pat Fitzgerald shouts after a call he did not like during the fourth quarter against the Northwestern Wildcats at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Young-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

• The Wolverines were supposed to be great this year, and to be fair, their defense has been very good; however, they are doing way worse than expected, already sitting with three rough losses and some other questionable wins.

• Just like every remaining team, the Wolverines must be beaten to make a bowl game. But looking at this game now compared to the beginning of the season, there is reasonable hope that MSU can contain the Wolverines' threats and find a massive upset victory.

The Washington Huskies: Disappointing

• Washington is sitting in a similar place to the Wolverines with three losses, but they weren't expected to be the toughest match on MSU's schedule anyway. The Huskies have been pretty disappointing overall, but there is something else to worry about: offense.

• While it is expected for some teams to have massive games, the Huskies have been able to almost reach 40 points on multiple occasions this year, and against MSU's battered defense, there is a lot of work to do.

The Oregon Ducks: Worse

• In a similar fashion to Michigan once more, the Ducks were supposed to be great and have fallen immensely. They have had huge turnover issues and have been very shaky against teams that are not touted as great, such as Illinois. Unlike in the early season, it seems like MSU could hand the Ducks a loss.

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights: Nothing Has Changed

Michigan State’s head coach Pat Fitzgerald leaves the field after the Spartans loss to Illinois in overtime on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

• MSU's biggest hope for a Big Ten conference win has revolved around Rutgers since the beginning of the year, and it has stayed that way. The Scarlet Knights are deep in the rough, and they can only get things going every now and then.