MSU's Pat Fitzgerald's 5 Best Teams From Northwestern Tenure

Here are the best teams the Spartans' head coach has formed during his career.

Sep 24, 2022; Northwestern Wildcats head coach Pat Fitzgerald before a game against the Miami (Ohio) Redhawks at Ryan Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

The biggest thing no one can doubt on Pat Fitzgerald's resume is his experience.

Michigan State's new head coach was previously the head coach at Northwestern for 17 seasons, spanning from 2006 to 2022. Fitzgerald's career record of 110-101 (.521 winning percentage) isn't that impressive at the surface, but Northwestern is one of the most difficult jobs in the Power Five in terms of resources and academic restrictions. These are the five best teams that Fitzgerald has formed during his time in Evanston.

5. 2015 Season (10-3)

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

Northwestern has had five seasons in its program history with 10 wins. Fitzgerald was either a player or the head coach in four of them. Starting the list is Fitzgerald's 2015 season, which finished with a 10-3 mark. Running back Justin Jackson ran for 1,418 yards that season, which ranked second in the Big Ten.

The reason this team comes down here is that its three losses were lopsided. NU's first loss was by a 38-0 score at then-No. 18 Michigan. Loss two was a 40-10 home loss to then-No. 17 Iowa. Its bowl game loss was a 45-6 rout at the hands of unranked Tennessee in the Outback Bowl. Ultimately, the Wildcats finished 23rd in the AP Poll.

4. 2012 Season (10-3)

Michigan State's head coach Pat Fitzgerald looks on during spring football practice on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

His first 10-win season as a head coach came in 2012. Led by running back Vedric Mark, who had 1,366 rushing yards this season and a dozen touchdowns, the Wildcats got to double-digit wins and a No. 17 finish in the AP Poll.

The problem for this Wildcats team is the very, very favorable schedule. They didn't face a ranked opponent all season. Non-conference victories over three major opponents (at Syracuse, Vanderbilt, Boston College) do help the case a little, though. Northwestern capped the year with a Gator Bowl win over Mississippi State, the program's first bowl win since the 1949 Rose Bowl.

3. 2018 Season (9-5)

Jul 22, 2021; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Northwestern Wildcats head coach Pat Fitzgerald speaks to the media during Big 10 media days at Lucas Oil Stadium. | Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

That 9-5 record isn't as good as the two teams earlier, but there is a simple reason this team is in second: it made the Big Ten Championship game. The Wildcats actually lost a game to Akron during their third game of the season, but that didn't stop them from going 8-1 during conference play, the team's best mark since going 8-0 in 1995.

Northwestern also held tough against Ohio State in that title game. The Wildcats were within one possession during the fourth quarter. They also then beat Utah (led by now-Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham) in the Holiday Bowl to finish 21st in the AP Poll.

2. 2017 Season (10-3)

Oct 30, 2021; Evanston, Illinois, USA; Northwestern Wildcats head coach Pat Fitzgerald looks on in the second half against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Ryan Field. | Quinn Harris-Imagn Images

Ending this stretch of 10-3 seasons is Northwestern's team from 2017. Jackson, from the 2015 team, was also one of the team's leaders, rushing for 1,311 yards and 11 touchdowns that year. This team got the nod for the best of the 10-3 squads because of its strength of schedule. Two of its three losses that season were to AP top-10 opponents.

That season also ended with a bowl win over an SEC team, as the Wildcats beat Kentucky in the Music City Bowl. Northwestern also beat then-No. 16 Michigan State, 39-31, in Evanston earlier that season.

1. 2020 Season (7-2)

Nov 19, 2022; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Northwestern Wildcats head coach Pat Fitzgerald walks the sidelines during the second quarter against the Purdue Boilermakers at Ross-Ade Stadium. | Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

Fitzgerald's best team happened under the shadow of the pandemic a bit. This Northwestern team finished 10th in the AP Poll, which is the best finish of Fitzgerald's career. NU that season played an all-Big Ten regular season schedule, going 6-1. Ironically, the Wildcats' only regular-season loss was at Michigan State, which finished 2-5 during Mel Tucker's first season.

The schedule for Northwestern was pretty favorable, but what convinced me to put this one at the top was the Big Ten West Championship and another valiant effort against Ohio State in the conference title game. That COVID Ohio State team was extremely loaded, but Northwestern had a halftime lead and was within six towards the end of the game.

Dec 2, 2025; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Michigan State head football coach Pat Fitzgerald watches the Spartans defeat the Iowa Hawkeyes at Jack Breslin Student Events Center. | Dale Young-Imagn Images

Northwestern also handed its business during the Citrus Bowl against Auburn, 35-19. Also worth noting is that the Wildcats got as high as No. 8 in the CFP rankings. NU hasn't been ranked in either the AP Poll or the CFP rankings since that 2020 season and/or Fitzgerald's firing prior to the 2025 season.