It’s been a busy day for Michigan State football scheduling. The Spartans’ kickoff time against Notre Dame on Sept. 19 was announced early on Thursday afternoon and then a new home-and-home series was reported shortly after.
The Spartans will now be getting a series with a Big 12 opponent.
According to Pete Thamel, Michigan State and Cincinnati have agreed to a future home-and-home series starting in 2030 when the Spartans will head to Nippert Stadium. The Bearcats will return to East Lansing in 2031 for the back-half of that home-and-home series.
This will be just the third meeting ever between the two teams which is actually surprising considering Michigan State got its legendary head coach from Cincinnati. Mark Dantonio came over from Cincinnati after the 2006 season. I’m actually surprised that Mark Hollis never scheduled a matchup between Dantonio and his former program.
The two Midwest-based programs will now see each other for the first time since the leather helmet era.
Series history for Michigan State vs Cincinnati
Cincinnati and Michigan State have only met two times in the history of the programs and this will be the first meeting in 80 years. The last time Michigan State and Cincinnati played, World War II had just ended and color TV wasn’t even invented yet. The all-time series is sitting at 1-1 with the Bearcats winning that 1946 matchup but Michigan State winning the first in 1930.
The Bearcats got to face the Spartans before Michigan State had all of its national success in the following decades, winning several national titles.
Cincinnati has been more successful in recent years, making the College Football Playoff under Luke Fickell in 2021, but it hasn’t won more than nine games since. Scott Satterfield is just 15-22 over his three years with the program as it tries to adjust to the Big 12.
Michigan State hasn’t made a bowl game since 2021 and the Spartans have been trending in the wrong direction since that season. Mel Tucker and Jonathan Smith have since been fired and Pat Fitzgerald has taken their place as the head of the program.
Maybe by 2030, these two teams will both be playoff contenders.
I don’t know about you, but I’m excited about the future Mark Dantonio Bowl.
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