Measuring Impact of MSU Having Multiple Friday Night Games

A pair of Michigan State's home games next season have been moved up a day.

On Friday, MSU football announced that its season opener against Toledo had been shifted to Friday, Sept. 4. In addition, the Spartans' penultimate game and final home contest against Oregon had been advanced to Friday, Nov. 20. Television details for the Toledo game are TBA, but the clash against the Ducks will start at 8 p.m. ET that night on FOX.

Upholding Tradition

One thing that is nice is that the Spartans' tradition to start the season on a Friday night is still going under Pat Fitzgerald. Excluding the COVID-impacted 2020 season, Michigan State has started every season but one on a Friday night since 2011. MSU has gone 13-0 during those games, with an 11-0 record at Spartan Stadium.

A big bonus of moving up to Friday night is that it means the Spartans will have just one additional day to recover from the season opener than most teams. After Toledo, Michigan State takes on another MAC program, Eastern Michigan, during Week 2. A massive test against Notre Dame awaits during Week 3, though.

Sep 7, 2024; College Park, Maryland, USA; A detailed view of Michigan State Spartans helmet on the field before the game against the Maryland Terrapins at SECU Stadium. | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Selfishly, it also makes the following day more fun. It's a rare opportunity to have a stress-free Saturday where MSU fans can just watch the rest of the college football slate.

Short Week Against Oregon

Jan 9, 2026; Atlanta, GA, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Dante Moore (5) looks to pass against the Indiana Hoosiers during the first half of the 2025 Peach Bowl and semifinal game of the College Football Playoff at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Friday nights get less fun as the season goes on, though. Michigan State played on a Friday in the second-to-last week of the season two seasons ago against Purdue. MSU won the game, but it was a slog played in front of a below-capacity crowd amid temperatures in the high-30s and low-40s. It didn't help that the game featured two teams at 4-5 and 1-9 entering the matchup.

The Spartans had actually played Oregon on a short week in 2024 as well, made worse by the cross-country trip and the fact that MSU had played Ohio State the game prior. Michigan State hung around for a tiny bit, but the Ducks ended up flexing their muscles in a 31-10 result in Eugene.

Michigan State's Ademola Faleye runs after a catch against Purdue during the first quarter on Friday, Nov. 22, 2024, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Just like that, the Purdue game in the past, this matchup will probably get pretty chilly. Since it'll be nighttime, the temperature will be close to the low end of the forecast. On average in Michigan, that might mean temperatures around 35 degrees around mid-to-late November.

The scheduling dynamic of this game will also be a bit interesting. This matchup will be the Spartans' third game after their bye week this season, though it will come off a game at Washington. It'll be Oregon's seventh week playing in a row; the Ducks host Michigan the Saturday before coming to East Lansing.

Add us as a preferred source on Google