Wk 7 · 2026
Northwestern Wildcats at Michigan State Spartans — Sat, Oct 17
Sat, Oct 17 ·
Spartan Stadium, East Lansing, MI
Weather
No forecast yet. This one is 47 days away and has no kickoff time yet. Forecasts reach about 16 days ahead, so this fills in nearer the game. A seasonal average printed here would look exactly like a forecast, which is why there is not one.
Big Ten · no games yet
at
TBDET
no line posted yet
Ratings differential NU by 1.5
Big Ten · no games yet
What is at stake
A Big Ten game — it counts in the standings that decide that league's championship game. Run the race.
What the ratings imply
The differential above is arithmetic on two published numbers:
The CFB King’s 2026 final efficiency ratings, plus
2.4 points of home field.
It is not a projection, a value, an edge or a lean, and nothing on this site
compares it with the betting line to tell you one is better. Until 2026
games are played it is last season’s measurement of two teams that have
changed.
Efficiency · 2026 ratings
Efficiency margin
Offense (pts/100)
Defense (pts/100)
Pace (plays/g)
Yards / play
Yards / play allowed
Opponent-adjusted ratings from The College
King's 2026 final numbers. Bars share a scale within each row, so
the two lengths are comparable; the brighter side is the better of the two, and a
longer bar is the better number — including the rows where a lower figure is the
good one. Pace is the exception: it is how fast a team plays, not how well, so
neither side is lit and a longer bar there means only more plays.
Team stats · 2026 per game
Points / game
Points allowed
Yards / game
Yards allowed
Pass yds allowed
Rush yds allowed
Turnovers / game
From completed 2026 box scores;
defensive yardage covers the regular season and conference championships.
Northwestern form
No completed games on record.
Michigan St form
No completed games on record.
Northwestern this season
No graded games yet this season. Lines are captured before kickoff and graded when a game goes final, so these records start at Week 1.
Michigan St this season
No graded games yet this season. Lines are captured before kickoff and graded when a game goes final, so these records start at Week 1.
Lines are captured from ESPN's board before kickoff and locked at kickoff, so an in-play price cannot overwrite the number a game is graded against.
Common opponents · 3
| Opponent | Northwestern | Michigan St |
|---|---|---|
| Rutgers Big Ten | vs Wk 8 · scheduled preview | at Wk 13 · scheduled preview |
| Oregon Big Ten | at Wk 9 · scheduled preview | vs Wk 12 · scheduled preview |
| Illinois Big Ten | vs Wk 13 · scheduled preview | vs Wk 6 · scheduled preview |
Open these two in the
comparison tool for every shared and unshared opponent.
Series history · 2006–2026
Since 2006, Michigan St leads 9–5 · Michigan St has won the last 3
14 meetings
in 2006–2026 · average margin
5.8 points toward Michigan St
| Yr | Date | Result | Site | Won |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2021-09-03 | Michigan St 38 — 21 Northwestern | at NU | Michigan St |
| 2020 | 2020-11-28 | Northwestern 20 — 29 Michigan St | at MSU | Michigan St |
| 2019 | 2019-09-21 | Michigan St 31 — 10 Northwestern | at NU | Michigan St |
| 2018 | 2018-10-06 | Northwestern 29 — 19 Michigan St | at MSU | Northwestern |
| 2017 | 2017-10-28 | Michigan St 31 — 39 Northwestern | at NU | Northwestern |
| 2016 | 2016-10-15 | Northwestern 54 — 40 Michigan St | at MSU | Northwestern |
| 2013 | 2013-11-23 | Michigan St 30 — 6 Northwestern | at NU | Michigan St |
| 2012 | 2012-11-17 | Northwestern 23 — 20 Michigan St | at MSU | Northwestern |
| 2011 | 2011-11-26 | Michigan St 31 — 17 Northwestern | at NU | Michigan St |
| 2010 | 2010-10-23 | Michigan St 35 — 27 Northwestern | at NU | Michigan St |
| 2009 | 2009-10-17 | Northwestern 14 — 24 Michigan St | at MSU | Michigan St |
| 2008 | 2008-10-11 | Michigan St 37 — 20 Northwestern | at NU | Michigan St |
| 2007 | 2007-10-06 | Northwestern 48 — 41 Michigan St | at MSU | Northwestern |
| 2006 | 2006-10-21 | Michigan St 41 — 38 Northwestern | at NU | Michigan St |
Northwestern leaders 2025 regular season
| Passing | Preston Stone QB #8 | 203/339, 2174 YDS, 14 TD, 12 INT |
| Ryan Boe QB #2 | 1/3, 7 YDS | |
| Rushing | Caleb Komolafe RB #5 | 175 CAR, 886 YDS, 10 TD |
| Joseph Himon II RB #6 | 99 CAR, 486 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Dashun Reeder RB #24 | 22 CAR, 222 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Receiving | Griffin Wilde WR #17 | 61 REC, 783 YDS, 6 TD |
| Hayden Eligon II WR #8 | 34 REC, 476 YDS, 3 TD | |
| Hunter Welcing TE #84 | 27 REC, 283 YDS, 2 TD | |
| Drew Wagner WR #19 | 22 REC, 172 YDS, 2 TD |
Defense
| Tackles | Robert Fitzgerald DB #6 | 109 |
| Mac Uihlein LB #37 | 92 | |
| Braydon Brus LB #33 | 70 | |
| Sacks | Aidan Hubbard DE #91 | 4.5 |
| Michael Kilbane DL #47 | 3.5 | |
| Anto Saka DE #14 | 3 | |
| Interceptions | Mac Uihlein LB #37 | 4 |
| Najee Story DL #95 | 1 | |
| Ore Adeyi DB #7 | 1 |
Michigan St leaders 2025 regular season
| Passing | Aidan Chiles QB #0 | 128/203, 1392 YDS, 10 TD, 3 INT |
| Alessio Milivojevic QB #11 | 111/173, 1267 YDS, 10 TD, 3 INT | |
| Rushing | Makhi Frazier RB #25 | 116 CAR, 520 YDS, 2 TD |
| Elijah Tau-Tolliver RB #4 | 72 CAR, 428 YDS, 2 TD | |
| Brandon Tullis RB #7 | 69 CAR, 301 YDS, 4 TD | |
| Receiving | Nick Marsh WR #11 | 59 REC, 662 YDS, 6 TD |
| Omari Kelly WR #1 | 47 REC, 626 YDS, 2 TD | |
| Jack Velling TE #12 | 36 REC, 359 YDS, 3 TD | |
| Chrishon McCray WR #13 | 24 REC, 330 YDS, 3 TD |
Defense
| Tackles | Jordan Hall LB #5 | 88 |
| Wayne Matthews III LB #10 | 73 | |
| Alex VanSumeren DT #91 | 52 | |
| Sacks | Quindarius Dunnigan DL #99 | 2.5 |
| Jordan Hall LB #5 | 2.5 | |
| Jalen Thompson DL #9 | 2.5 | |
| Interceptions | Armorion Smith S #7 | 1 |
| Wayne Matthews III LB #10 | 1 | |
| Aveon Grose S #30 | 1 |
These are regular-season totals for
the season named on each card — the players who led that team that year,
taken from ESPN's team leaders. That list is keyed to the season, not to today's
roster, so a leader who has since transferred or run out of eligibility still
appears against the year he earned it; the
roster
pages and the depth chart on each team page are where the current squad is.
A team switches to this season's numbers once it has played a game. The roster
pages count bowl games too, so a player's two lines can differ by a game.