Michigan State Football: Quick thoughts on 2022 schedule

The 2022 schedule has been released and Michigan State football has some notable games. What are those games and what should you look for?

Michigan State football had an overachieving year in 2021 when it finished with an 11-2 record. The Spartans won key games like beating Michigan and winning the Peach Bowl.

Mel Tucker has done a fantastic job only two years into his tenure in East Lansing. He has utilized the transfer portal while getting the job done on the recruiting trail. In fact, he’s in line to have a top 20 recruiting class in 2022.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at who the Spartans will be playing in 2022 as the Big Ten released the final schedule on Wednesday afternoon.

• Sept. 3: vs. Western Michigan
• Sept. 10: vs. Akron
• Sept. 17: at Washington
• Sept. 24: vs. Minnesota
• Oct. 1: at Maryland
• Oct. 8: vs. Ohio State
• Oct. 15: vs. Wisconsin
• Oct. 29: at Michigan
• Nov. 5: at Illinois
• Nov. 12: vs. Rutgers
• Nov. 19: vs. Indiana
• Nov. 26: at Penn State

One of the notable games next season is at Washington. The Huskies are a solid program coming off a down year. This game will be a tough Pac-12 matchup that could be one of many Pac-12 vs. Big Ten games that could be coming with the two conferences in an alliance.

The Spartans were also able to play Ohio State at home as they will be looking to get some revenge after the stomping the Buckeyes gave to them in 2021. The Spartans let CJ Stroud pass all over them and they will try to give him more of a problem at home with the crowd roaring.

The Spartans also get to play Wisconsin this year which they have not beaten since 2012. The last two times the Spartans have played the Badgers (2019 and 2016), they have gotten blown out 38-0 and 30-6, respectively. The Spartans have had their struggles against a strong Wisconsin team and will be riding Payton Thorne to notch the victory.

Michigan State travels to Ann Arbor to play for the Paul Bunyan Trophy. Mel Tucker has shown in his two years in East Lansing that he does not take this game lightly. He will be prepared to take on the Wolverines and will try to improve his winning streak to 3-0 against the team from down the road.

Finally, the Spartans play their final game away from home when they travel to Penn State to take on the Nittany Lions. The Big Ten finally is getting back to some traditions like this one, where Penn State and MSU end the season against each other. If the Big Ten East is like it has been recently, this game could be a decider of who goes to the Big Ten Championship.

Tucker will have his team ready to go when this fall arrives and will prove why he deserved that huge payday and have another winning season in 2022.