Big Ten's top game has Michigan State's Pat Fitzgerald trying to deliver another upset at Notre Dame
FILE - Michigan State head coach Pat Fitzgerald walks the sideline during an NCAA college football game, Sept. 4, 2026, in East Lansing, Mich. (AP Photo/Al Goldis, File)
Things to watch this weekend in the Big Ten:
Game of the week
Michigan State (2-0) at No. 3 Notre Dame (2-0), Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET (NBC)
This is the 80th matchup between these teams, but they haven't met since a Notre Dame 38-18 victory at Michigan State in 2017. Although Notre Dame leads the series 49-29-1, only Southern California has beaten the Fighting Irish more often than the Spartans have.
You must be a member to read this story.
Join our family of readers starting at $5 for your first month and support local, unbiased journalism.
Click here to see your options for becoming a subscriber.
Register to comment
Click here create a free account for posting comments.
Note that free accounts do not include access to premium content on this site.
I am anchor
Big Ten's top game has Michigan State's Pat Fitzgerald trying to deliver another upset at Notre Dame
FILE - Michigan State head coach Pat Fitzgerald walks the sideline during an NCAA college football game, Sept. 4, 2026, in East Lansing, Mich. (AP Photo/Al Goldis, File)
Posted
By STEVE MEGARGEE
Things to watch this weekend in the Big Ten:
Game of the week
Michigan State (2-0) at No. 3 Notre Dame (2-0), Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET (NBC)
This is the 80th matchup between these teams, but they haven't met since a Notre Dame 38-18 victory at Michigan State in 2017. Although Notre Dame leads the series 49-29-1, only Southern California has beaten the Fighting Irish more often than the Spartans have.
Michigan State coach Pat Fitzgerald posted upset wins at Notre Dame as a Northwestern linebacker in 1995 and as Northwestern’s coach in 2014. Notre Dame is favored by 29 ½ points.
The undercard
Virginia Tech (2-0) at Maryland (2-0), Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET (FS1)
These two former Atlantic Coast Conference rivals face off for the first time since Maryland's 54-10 blowout victory in the 2021 Pinstripe Bowl. Maryland has won 20 straight nonconference games, which represents the longest active streak of any Bowl Subdivision team.
Purdue (1-1) at UCLA (2-0), Saturday, 11 p.m. ET (Big Ten Network)
Colorado (2-0) at Northwestern (1-0), Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET (Fox)
An early measuring stick game for each program. Northwestern QB Aidan Chiles threw for 273 yards and a touchdown in his debut for the Wildcats, a 34-18 win over South Dakota State, an FCS playoff team last season. Colorado is 2-0 after a thriller at Georgia Tech and then a comfortable win at home over Weber State.
Impact players
— Penn State QB Rocco Becht has thrown seven touchdown passes without an interception this season. He is ranked fourth among all Bowl Subdivision players in passer rating.
— Nebraska QB Anthony Colandrea is the first Cornhuskers quarterback since Tommy Armstrong Jr. in 2016 to throw at least three touchdown passes in back-to-back games. Colandrea threw four touchdown passes in the first half of a 56-7 victory over Bowling Green.
— Michigan DE John Henry Daley had three tackles for loss and one sack in a 17-10 win over then-No. 11 Oklahoma.
Inside the numbers
The Big Ten’s six losses in nonconference games last week represented its highest total in a single week since Week 3 of the 2018 season, when it had seven. … Oregon had won 41 straight matchups with unranked opponents before falling 39-31 at Oklahoma State. The loss, which dropped Oregon from No. 6 to No. 21, snapped an FBS-leading 12-game road winning streak. … During Luke Fickell’s Wisconsin coaching tenure, the Badgers are 9-0 when they’ve had someone run for at least 100 yards and 9-22 when they haven’t had a 100-yard rusher. … Four players are tied for the FBS lead in touchdown catches with five, and three of them are from the Big Ten: Indiana TE Charlie Becker, Rutgers WR KJ Duff and Illinois WR Collin Dixon. ... Illinois and No. 18 Iowa are among the 10 FBS teams that haven't allowed a sack this season.
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here