Michigan State's rivalry game against the Michigan Wolverines on Oct. 21 received its kickoff time and television assignment on Monday morning.
After initial reports about a primetime matchup over the summer, the Spartans and Wolverines will officially meet under the lights of Spartan Stadium on the 21st with a 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time kickoff. The game will be nationally televised on NBC with streaming available on Peacock.
It will be MSU's first time ever hosting UM in primetime in East Lansing and just the third time in series history. As for this season, it will mark the second time in three games the Spartans will appear on NBC, their 26-16 loss to the Iowa Hawkeyes on September 30 also having been broadcast by the network.
The Spartans enter week seven with a 2-3 record and will look to snap a three-game losing streak this Saturday at Rutgers after having a bye week this past weekend. The Spartans will travel to Piscataway, New Jersey to take on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights who enter week seven with a 4-2 record, including a 1-2 mark in conference play. The Spartans enter game week as a 5.5-point underdog to the Scarlet Knights who are 4-0 at SHI Stadium so far this season.
The Wolverines are 6-0 after dismissing the Minnesota Golden Gophers on the road this past Saturday 52-10. After starting the season with four quality -- but un-impressive -- wins over East Carolina, UNLV, Bowling Green, and Rutgers, Jim Harbaugh’s program has dominated the last two weeks. The Wolverines have beat both Nebraska and Minnesota by a combined score of 97-17. In week seven, the Wolverines will host the Indiana Hoosiers, who are 2-3 on the season.
While Michigan holds a 72-38-5 lead all-time in the Battle For Paul, the matchup has been quite even over the last eight years with both programs winning four games and MSU having won 10 of the last 15 overall. Last season, the Wolverines defeated the Spartans 29-7 in Ann Arbor.
However, the last time the two teams met in East Lansing was an instant classic with the Spartans coming out on top with a 37-33 victory thanks to a Kenneth Walker III touchdown run with just over five minutes remaining.
