Skip to main content
Spartan Avenue
Fansided

Michigan State’s 2026-27 Big Ten schedule sets up nicely for another title run

The Spartans’ schedule doesn’t look too daunting.
ByConnor Muldowney
Share on FacebookShare on XShare on Reddit
Google Discover
Mar 5, 2026; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Michigan State Spartans forward Cameron Ward (3) cheers forward Jordan Scott (6) against Rutgers Scarlet Knights during the second half at Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Dale Young-Imagn Images
Mar 5, 2026; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Michigan State Spartans forward Cameron Ward (3) cheers forward Jordan Scott (6) against Rutgers Scarlet Knights during the second half at Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Dale Young-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Michigan State officially knows what its road to a second Big Ten title in three years will look like.

On top of knowing most of the elite non-conference schedule, the Spartans will now know what the Big Ten regular-season slate is going to look like.

And it sets up nicely for another title push.

The Big Ten released all conference schedules for the 2026-27 season on Wednesday and Michigan State’s draw feels pretty favorable.

The Spartans don’t get Purdue nor Wisconsin on the road and those have been two houses of horrors over the years. Michigan State did get a rare win at Mackey Arena this past season and Purdue is going to take a step back with Braden Smith and Trey Kaufman-Renn (for now) gone.

Michigan State’s newly-announced conference slate looks like it could lead to another Big Ten title if you sit down and really dissect each game.

What could Michigan State’s road to a Big Ten title look like?

Tom Izzo and Co. will go to Maryland before the new year which is an opportunity to pick up a nice road conference win in December after beating Minnesota to open Big Ten play a week earlier.

Big Ten play resumes in January with a road game against Nebraska and a West Coast swing at UCLA and USC sandwiching a Washington home game. If the Spartans can go 3-1 in those first four road games, they should be 6-1 before heading to Ohio State for a potentially-ranked showdown. Michigan State should take care of that one, too.

If the Spartans win at Ohio State, too, they could be 11-1 in conference play before a massive showdown against a top-five Illinois team in Champaign. That’s the only regular-season matchup with the Illini this year.

Let’s say Michigan State loses at Illinois, the Spartans will then head back home to face Rutgers before another two-game road trip to Michigan and Iowa. That’ll be a split.

With a 12-3 record and five very winnable games left, Michigan State likely needs to go 3-2, at least, in the final stretch to have a legit shot at the Big Ten title. These are the games:

  • Nebraska
  • at Indiana
  • Michigan
  • at Northwestern
  • Wisconsin

Unlike most years, that’s one of the most winnable stretches to finish the Big Ten season that I can remember. Michigan State goes 4-1 in that stretch and finishes the Big Ten with a 16-4 record.

Will that be enough to win the Big Ten? Potentially, especially since Illinois has to go to Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan, and Purdue and will host Purdue, Ohio State, Nebraska, USC, UCLA, Michigan State, Wisconsin, and Iowa. That’s not an easy schedule either. Unfortunately, the Illini, too, have a favorable stretch to end the season. It looks like this:

  • Northwestern
  • at Oregon
  • at Washington
  • Wisconsin
  • at Rutgers
  • Iowa

Michigan State will have to hope for some upsets, but if the Spartans can pull off the win in Champaign, it could be a moot point.

Yeah, college basketball can start any moment now.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations

Home/Michigan State Men's Basketball