Things aren't going so well for Michigan State football right now, but that doesn't mean that there can't be nuggets of good news here and there.
Even if those nuggets of good news come in the form of kickoff times.
All jokes aside, Michigan State may be on a two-game losing streak but the weird kickoff times are going to take a break for a couple of weeks, at least. The Wisconsin game is going to kick off at 12:30 p.m. ET which is perfect for an away game, in my opinion, and now we know the Illinois kick time.
The Illini will be coming to East Lansing in a couple of weeks for the annual homecoming game and it kicks off at 3:30 p.m. ET on Oct. 10. That's prime kickoff time for a home game. Not too early, not too late. Just right.
3:30 p.m. EST kick vs Illinois for homecoming https://t.co/WTdtOIlXpS
— Emmett Matasovsky (@E_Matasovsky57) September 28, 2026
Michigan State will get a nice mixture of daytime action and some under-the-lights vibes which is peak fan viewing time for a home game. The Spartans might be struggling lately but at least fans get an enjoyable experience at Spartan Stadium unlike that lame 5 p.m. ET start. OK, I’ll stop being one of those members of the media who always complain about kickoff times now.
Michigan State has only had one other 3:30 p.m ET kickoff this season and it happened to be the best game that the Spartans played. Let’s hope that’s a trend and not just a one-off this season.
Illinois is coming to Michigan State with something to prove
Katin Houser will be the second former Michigan State starting quarterback to return to East Lansing to face the Spartans this season and he would probably love nothing more than to beat his old teammates (the few that are left). The Illini are also on a tier above Michigan State but there’s a good chance we see the Spartans as favorites.
Illinois just fired their defensive coordinator and are looking for answers. People are doubting Bret Bielema and the Illini again and that’s right where he wants to be.
The Michigan State vs. Illinois team will be a battle of relatively evenly-matched teams even though the Illini are further along in their rebuild under Bielema and the former Wisconsin coach always seems to play the Spartans tough.
Michigan State won’t have any easy games on the schedule.
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