MSU Football Appears in Two Bowl Projections After Week 4

See which bowls the Spartans are being projected to play in through four games.

Michigan State center Matt Gulbin gets ready to throw a block during the Spartans' game against the USC Trojans on Sept. 20, 2025. | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI

Even though Michigan State suffered its first setback of the 2025 season in a 45-31 loss to USC on Saturday night, that hasn't necessarily dampened some experts' opinions on whether the Spartans will reach a bowl game or not.

Each week, two such experts from ESPN and another from CBS try to project what they think the eventual bowl season slate will be. Two out of those three think Michigan State will reach that six-win plateau and get to the 13th game.

Here's what those two experts said:

ESPN (Schlabach) - Rate Bowl vs. Baylor

Sep 6, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Baylor Bears quarterback Sawyer Robertson (13) hands off the ball during the game between the SMU Mustangs and the Baylor Bears at Gerald J. Ford Stadium. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

One of ESPN's two bowl projectors, Kyle Bonagura, omitted MSU from his bowl projections this week. The other one, Mark Schlabach, didn't.

Schlabach has Michigan State headed out to Phoenix, Arizona to play in the Rate Bowl against the Baylor Bears. This bowl game featured Kansas State and Rutgers last year, with the Wildcats getting a 44-41 victory. It's also played at Chase Field, home of the MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks.

If MSU were to play in the Rate Bowl, the Spartans would kick off in that game on Dec. 26 at 4:30 p.m. ET.

Kansas State running back Dylan Edwards (3) celebrates the go-ahead touchdown against Rutgers during the second half of the Rate Bowl at Chase Field on Dec. 26, 2024, in Phoenix. | Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Technically, MSU has played in this bowl game before. It has gone through several different names, but the Spartans were in it when it was known as the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl back in 2012 and beat TCU 17-16.

The Spartans and the Bears have only ever met twice, with the most recent meeting coming in the 2015 Cotton Bowl. MSU trailed 41-21 entering the fourth quarter in that one, but scored all 21 points in the final 15 minutes to come back and steal the game.

CBS - GameAbove Sports Bowl vs. Ohio

Sep 6, 2025; Athens, Ohio, USA; Ohio Bobcats quarterback Parker Navarro (13) throws a pass during the second quarter against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Peden Stadium. | Ben Queen-Imagn Images

This is actually the second straight week that this exact bowl game and matchup has been predicted, but it's from different people. Schlabach of ESPN had this game in his projections last week.

Previously, CBS was guessing that Michigan State would end up in the Las Vegas Bowl against Washington, but now thinks the Spartans will stay closer to home against a more local opponent.

Ohio sits at 2-2, but both losses are to Big Ten programs (No. 1 Ohio State and Rutgers), and one of its wins came against West Virginia. The Bobcats also won the MAC Championship last year, but are also in their first year with a new coach.

Michigan State has never appeared in the GameAbove Sports Bowl (previously the Quick Lane Bowl), which is played at Ford Field in Detroit. The Spartans will also conclude their regular season in the same venue against Maryland on Nov. 29.

The GameAbove Sports Bowl is also on Dec. 26, but kicks off at 1 p.m. ET.

Michigan State QB Aidan Chiles runs with the ball against the USC Trojans during a game on Sept. 20, 2025. | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI

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