Michigan State's Historic West Coast Woes

It's been a long, long, long time since Michigan State has been able to get a regular season road win on the West Coast. In fact, man reached the moon for the first time more recently than that --- by about 12 years. The Spartans are going to try and change that during their upcoming game at USC.

The last time MSU went out and won a true road victory to the west of Boulder, Colorado was 1957 --- a 19-0 win against Cal. Michigan State claimed a national title for that year and the Golden Bears went 1-9.

Ever since, it's been loss after loss whenever the Spartans have gone across the country for a non-bowl game. In total, the active losing streak stands at 15 games (three of which were at USC). Here are some of the most recent examples.

2024: Oregon 31, MSU 10

Oregon Ducks inside linebacker Bryce Boettcher tackles Michigan State Spartans quarterback Aidan Chiles as the Ducks host the Spartans Friday, Oct. 4, 2024 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Some fairness has to be given to last year's team for how they played under this situation here. Dealing with Autzen Stadium is enough, but facing a very strong Ducks team that eventually won the Big Ten with one less day to prepare after playing Ohio State the previous Saturday is another.

Still, this game wasn't close at all. The final score was 31-10, but Oregon led 31-0 during the fourth quarter before MSU put together a couple of scoring drives to make things a little more respectable.

Oregon comes to Spartan Stadium in 2026. Michigan State's next trip to Eugene will be in the 2028 season.

2022: Washington 39, MSU 28

Between his time at Indiana and Washington, it's probably fair to say that Michael Penix Jr. is one of the biggest Spartan killers in history. Penix threw for 397 yards and four touchdowns in this one to lead the Huskies to what was really a blowout victory; UW led 39-14 midway through the fourth.

MSU entered this game ranked 11th nationally, while Washington was unranked. This one sent the two programs in two very different directions. Washington finished 11-2 that year and then reached the national championship game in 2023. Michigan State still hasn't reached a bowl game since.

Washington also crushed MSU in East Lansing the following year, 41-7. These now-Big Ten foes are scheduled to play in Spartan Stadium in 2026 before heading out to Seattle again in 2027.

2018: Arizona State 16, MSU 13

Arizona State's Manny Wilkins throws against Michigan State in the 4th quarter on Saturday, Sept. 8, 2018, at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Ariz. Arizona State won, 16-13. | Sean Logan/The Republic

This one was a tough one for Michigan State to process, as the Spartans allowed a 13-3 lead entering the fourth quarter to slip away. Arizona State scored all 13 of the points in the fourth-quarter, including a 28-yard game-winning field goal as time expired.

MSU's upcoming game against USC is slated for an 11 p.m. ET kickoff on FOX. This one didn't start much earlier: 10:45 p.m. ET.

Jordan Hall, Wayne Matthews III — Michigan State linebackers Jordan Hall (5) and Wayne Matthews III (10) get involved in a tackle during a game against Youngstown State on Sept. 13, 2025. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

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