Through three weeks, Michigan State football is sitting at 2-1 and the Spartans have had a couple of late kickoffs (7 p.m. ET or later) as well as a 3:30 p.m. start against Eastern Michigan.
When you think of an ideal kickoff time, 3:30 p.m. is probably right in the sweet spot while this week’s 5 p.m. kickoff against Nebraska is pushing the limits for some. For away games, the sweet spot is probably noon because it avoids the dreaded hostile under-the-lights environment like we saw at Notre Dame and it’s early enough where non-traveling fans don’t have to wait around all day.
Michigan State’s lone away game so far was a 7:30 p.m. ET start but the team’s second road contest kickoff time will have fans much happier.
The official Twitter account of Michigan State football announced the kickoff time for Michigan State vs. Wisconsin in Week 5, and it’s darn near perfect.
Kickoff is set in Madison pic.twitter.com/5LqYWpme6y
— Michigan State Football (@MSU_Football) September 21, 2026
Wisconsin will host Michigan State for the Spartans’ first Big Ten road game of the season on Oct. 3 at 12:30 p.m. ET and that couldn’t be a better kickoff time (except maybe noon) for the Spartans. Camp Randall Stadium is one of the toughest venues for visitors in college football and avoiding a night game against a beatable team on the road is big.
The Badgers are probably on the same level as Michigan State as an overall team so not allowing them to have too many advantages like playing the Spartans under the lights could play right into Pat Fitzgerald’s favor.
Michigan State did just hang with Notre Dame for the better part of three quarters on the road under the lights at Notre Dame Stadium, but the Spartans don’t have a great recent history of playing teams away from home in primetime, dating back to that Washington loss in 2022.
Everyone should feel pretty good about this kickoff slot.
Michigan State is looking win at Wisconsin for the first time since 2012
Believe it or not, Michigan State hasn’t “beaten” Wisconsin since 2012, if you don’t count that vacated victory over the Badgers in 2022. Since that’s a lame vacated win, I’m going to count it still, but that still means that the Spartans are winless against Wisconsin in Madison since 2012.
To be fair, the two teams have only met three times since 2012 which is unacceptable for what was turning into a fun rivalry during the early days of the Mark Dantonio era.
The 2012 win in Madison was a big one because it helped Michigan State crawl to bowl eligibility during a letdown season and the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl that the Spartans made that year ended up revealing the program’s next QB1 in Connor Cook. Without that game, Cook may never get the opportunity that he got in 2013 and maybe Michigan State doesn’t win the Rose Bowl then the Cotton Bowl.
That win also came down to the wire as Andrew Maxwell threw a back-shoulder walk-off touchdown pass to Bennie Fowler in overtime.
This year’s game could have similar implications and fireworks considering both teams are on an even-ish playing field. Plus, fans want revenge against Luke Fickell after he turned the Michigan State job down back in 2020 when the program was looking to replace Dantonio.
Oct. 3 could be a movie. Fortunately for the “can’t stay up too late” crowd, it’s a matinee.
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