Shortly after Saturday’s Spartan loss at Indiana, the kickoff time was announced for Michigan vs. Michigan State.
We didn’t have to wait that long for the kickoff time for the following week’s game. The Michigan State vs. Minnesota game will kick off a little earlier than most contests this year.
According to MSU football’s official X account, the Minnesota game will kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET.
kickoff in Minneapolis is set ⏰ pic.twitter.com/8CGUkVpG5r
— Michigan State Football (@MSU_Football) October 20, 2025
This will be the first meeting between Michigan State and Minnesota since 2023 when the Gophers were able to hold on against Katin Houser and the Spartans, 27-12. That game was within reach, but the Spartans just couldn’t seem to close out any winnable game that season.
Minnesota has won two straight games in the series, and Michigan State’s last victory over the Gophers was in 2017 when a Brian Lewerke-led Spartan team went into Minneapolis to steal a 30-27 victory. That game was also one of LJ Scott’s best in a Spartan uniform. Michigan State went on to win 10 games that year. Time were much better back then.
Now, Michigan State is attempting to reach bowl eligibility, and it’ll all depend on how the Spartans play against Michigan this weekend. A win over Michigan makes the Minnesota game all the more important. A loss essentially makes Michigan State vs. Minnesota irrelevant.
The Gophers are having a solid season under PJ Fleck with a 5-2 record and a 24-6 win over No. 25 Nebraska last weekend. They did only beat Purdue and Rutgers by one score each in home wins earlier this season, so the record may be a little deceiving.
Mark this down as a winnable game, and it should help the Spartans that it’s not in primetime.