Michigan State's Recent History in Season Openers
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College football teams are only guaranteed 12 opportunities every year. That makes every single game precious, and it especially makes a victory in Week 1 more critical.
Even in an era where losing multiple games doesn't eliminate you from national championship contention anymore, starting the season off on the right foot is particularly important.
Life in the Big Ten is more difficult than ever with the additions of the four West Coast schools to the conference (Michigan State plays at USC on Sept. 20 and hosts UCLA on Oct. 11), so teams that normally would have likely reached 6-6 and a bowl in the past might go 5-7 or even 4-8 with a bad draw schedule-wise.
That makes winning non-conference games extra important. Most teams, of course, start their seasons with non-conference opponents, and MSU will be doing that with a matchup against Western Michigan out of the MAC on Friday at 7 p.m.
So, how does Michigan State do in these season-opening games? Let's take a look at the numbers and also how these games have gone for the Spartans in recent years.
Week 1 By The Numbers
Overall, the Spartans are 88-37-3 in season openers, which is good for a winning percentage of .699. Michigan State has also won 23 of its last 26 openers.
A semi-recent tradition for Michigan State has been to open the season with a game on a Friday night. The Spartans are 12-0 in such games, all of which have been since 2011, and have won 10 of those games at home. Michigan State has also beaten Western Michigan three such times in this spot.
Past Season Openers
2024: Michigan State 16, Florida Atlantic 10
The first game of the Jonathan Smith era was not one that exactly inspired a ton of confidence. Against a Group of Five opponent that ended up going 3-9, the Spartans were only able to win by one possession.
New starting QB Aidan Chiles, who is back in 2025, threw an interception on the game's very first play from scrimmage.
MSU's first points came from a safety after D'Quan Douse got a sack in the endzone. Michigan State's only offense came in the first half, with Chiles running in an 11-yard touchdown and Kay'Ron Lynch-Adams taking one in from 63 yards away.
2023: Michigan State 31, Central Michigan 7
In the contest that'll forever be known as the game that Connor Stalions was in disguise on the CMU sideline, Michigan State was able to pick up a win against an in-state MAC school, which it'll be looking to do this Friday.
Michigan State only led 10-7 at halftime, but the Spartans outscored the Chippewas 21-0 in the second half to breeze to a win. QB Noah Kim threw for 279 yards, two touchdowns, and no picks, and RB Nate Carter ran for 113 yards and another score.
2022: Michigan State 35, Western Michigan 13
In the Spartans' last meeting with WMU, Michigan State was able to pull away in the fourth quarter to secure the win after entering the final 15 minutes with a 21-13 lead.
QB Payton Thorne threw for 233 yards, four touchdowns and one interception. RB Jalen Berger ran for 120 yards and a score and WR Keon Coleman had 84 receiving yards and another touchdown.
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A 2025 graduate from Michigan State University, Cotsonika brings a wealth of experience covering the Spartans from Rivals and On3 to his role as Michigan State Spartans Beat Writer on SI. At Michigan State, he was also a member of the world-renowned Spartan marching band for two seasons.
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