Five Brutally Honest Takeaways from MSU’s 2026 Football Schedule
Michigan State’s 2026 Big Ten football schedule under new coach Pat Fitzgerald features a well-timed West Coast road trip to UCLA followed by a convenient bye week before the annual Michigan rivalry. Only one true conference rivalry remains (vs. Michigan) with nonconference play adding Notre Dame. MSU opens Big Ten play at home against Nebraska and then heads to Wisconsin, both coached by men on hot seats. The schedule could include up to five ranked opponents—Oregon, Michigan, Illinois, Notre Dame, and possibly Washington—though most tough games are at home. Senior Day likely pits the rebuilding Spartans against a formidable Oregon squad, promising a bittersweet season finale.
Behold, the schedule makers at Big Ten HQ have once again demonstrated that common sense is alive—well, at least when it comes to giving your players an extra day to recover from jet lag. Nothing says “fair competition” like making them cross three time zones and then treating them to a mandatory lie-in. And hey, only one rivalry game? That’s right, folks—because real rivalries are so last decade. Grab your popcorn for Senior Day versus Oregon: it’s like watching a Hollywood underdog flick, except the odds are stacked against our Spartans, the director is new, and the budget is suspiciously minimal.
Jeremy Fears Jr.: Is He the New Government-Mandated Assists King?
In an 88-79 overtime thriller against Rutgers, Michigan State guard Jeremy Fears Jr. exploded for a career-high 29 points and nine assists, cementing his case for All-America consideration. Already co-Big Ten Player of the Week after a 17-point, 17-assist masterpiece versus Maryland, Fears is now second nationally with 186 assists, trailing Purdue’s Braden Smith by just four while committing noticeably fewer turnovers. KenPom slots him seventh in National Player of the Year contention—and ahead of Smith—while he still has two seasons of eligibility remaining.
Move over, James Madison—there’s a new Fears in town, and he’s plotting to take your assist crown with the precision of a tax auditor. With nearly as many dimes as a U.S. mint and fewer giveaways than a Black Friday sale, he’s redefining hustle while MSU fans scramble to invent new superlatives. KenPom says he’s in the running for Player of the Year, which is adorable—until he actually wins it, forces the voters to update their resumes, and makes the Wooden Award committee question whether they’ve been grading on a curve all along.
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