Michigan State Football: Game-by-game predictions for 8-game schedule

Michigan State football finally knows who it will be playing to open the 2020 season next month and the schedule was a pleasant surprise.

Just days after announcing that the 2020 season would be returning for the Big Ten this fall, the conference released its official eight-game schedule which begins on Oct. 23.

For Michigan State, this was the perfect opportunity to gauge just how well they might fare against a fairly difficult slate of teams, but things kick off with a favorable matchup.

The Spartans open the season against Rutgers, but go to Michigan the following week. Minnesota was dropped from the schedule which is a plus for the green and white but the end of the season is going to be incredibly tough.

Here’s what the full slate looks like:

Michigan State could open with a win in arguably the most favorable game on the schedule against Rutgers and that’s the perfect way to begin the Mel Tucker era. Going to Michigan and Iowa in the following weeks will not be easy, but not having fans in attendance should make them more manageable. I wouldn’t use the term “unwinnable” but they aren’t going to be easy.

Coming home to Indiana the following week before traveling to Maryland and then hosting Northwestern could set up a little winning streak if everything goes perfectly. And then there’s Ohio State and Penn State to end the year.

What will be the Spartans’ final record in this eight-game slate?