For as long as I can remember, Michigan State football follows up a favorable start to its season with a gauntlet in the month of October which has derailed things quite often recently.
The Spartans have had one of the toughest stretches of games in the Big Ten dating back to the Mark Dantonio era in the month of October, and that's not changing this year.
But how does this year's October gauntlet compare to previous seasons?
This year, the Spartans face Nebraska and No. 11 Indiana away from home, and they also host a bad UCLA team for homecoming and No. 19 Michigan. That marks three bowl-bound teams and one that is probably the worst in the Big Ten. Many probably expect the Spartans to go 1-3. I think this team will be able to steal a win over two as an underdog, however.
How have the previous October slates looked?
2018 (2-2 record)
- vs. Northwestern
- at No. 8 Penn State
- vs. No. 6 Michigan
- vs. Purdue
2019 (0-3)
- at No. 4 Ohio State
- at No. 8 Wisconsin
- vs. No. 6 Penn State
2020 (1-1)
- vs. Rutgers
- at No. 13 Michigan
2021 (4-0)
- vs. Western Kentucky
- at Rutgers
- at Indiana
- vs. No. 6 Michigan
2022 (1-3)
- at Maryland
- vs. No. 3 Ohio State
- vs. Wisconsin
- at No. 4 Michigan
2023 (0-3)
- at Rutgers
- vs. No. 2 Michigan
- at Minnesota
2024 (1-2)
- at No. 6 Oregon
- vs. Iowa
- at Michigan
Since the start of the 2018 season, Michigan State is 9-14 in October, and it's just 2-8 over the past three years since that magical 2021 campaign. The Spartans are also 3-8 against ranked opponents during that span. Out of the 23 October opponents, 11 have been ranked.
Well, there are two more ranked teams on the slate this October and another game on the road. The Spartans have lost six straight road games in October dating back to 2021.
Let's hope Michigan State experiences better luck this year.