The Michigan–Michigan State football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the University of Michigan Wolverines and the Michigan State University Spartans. The teams first played in 1898 and have met 114 times. The game has now been played uninterrupted, every year since 1945. In 1949 Michigan State was accepted into the Big Ten conference, though it was not until 1953 that the rivalry became a Big Ten conference game, due to protests from the University of Michigan administration. Though it became a conference game in 1953, it did not become a home-and-home series until 1958 due to protests by Michigan administrators. Prior to 1958 all but 6 matchups were played in Ann Arbor. The winner of each year's game receives the Paul Bunyan – Governor of Michigan Trophy, a four-foot wooden statue of a lumberjack that was first presented in 1953 to commemorate Michigan State's beginning football competition as a member of the Big Ten Conference.
Spartan Stadium , opened in 1923 in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It is primarily used for football, and is the home field of the Michigan State University Spartans. After the addition of luxury boxes and club seating in 2004–2005, the capacity of the stadium grew from 72,027 to 75,005—though it has held more than 80,000 fans—making it the Big Ten's sixth largest stadium. It has been nicknamed "The Woodshed".
The Michigan State Spartans are the athletic teams that represent Michigan State University. The school's athletic program includes 23 varsity sports teams. Their mascot is a Spartan warrior named Sparty, and the school colors are green and white. The university participates in the NCAA's Division I and the Football Bowl Subdivision for football. The Spartans participate as members of the Big Ten Conference in all varsity sports. Michigan State offers 11 varsity sports for men and 12 for women.
The Michigan State Spartans football program represents Michigan State University (MSU) in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) level. The Spartans are members of the Big Ten Conference. Michigan State claims a total of six national championships, including two from major wire-service: AP Poll and/or Coaches' Poll. The Spartans have also won eleven conference championships, with two in Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association and nine in the Big Ten.
The 2001 Michigan vs. Michigan State football game, sometimes called The Clock incident or Clockgate, was played on November 3, 2001 at Spartan Stadium.
Mark Justin Dantonio is a former American football coach and player. He most recently served as the head football coach at Michigan State University, a position he had held from 2007 to 2019, presiding over one of the most successful eras in the program's history. He led the Michigan State Spartans to three Big Ten Conference championships, and eight victories over archrival Michigan in 13 years. In 2013, he coached Michigan State to its first 13-win season and the program's fifth trip to the Rose Bowl, where they defeated Stanford and finished the season ranked No. 3 in the nation. This was the second time a Big Ten team reached the 13-win mark, the previous being Ohio State's national championship season in 2002, where Dantonio was the defensive coordinator. The 2013 season also marked the first time a Big Ten team won nine conference games each by double digits. In 2015, Dantonio became the first head coach in Big Ten history to achieve at least 11 wins in five of six seasons. On December 6, 2015, Dantonio's Spartans qualified for the College Football Playoff for the first time in the program's history.
The Michigan State Spartans baseball team is the varsity intercollegiate baseball team of Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. The team competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I and are members of the Big Ten Conference.
The 2013 Michigan State Spartans football team represented Michigan State University in the Legends Division of the Big Ten Conference during the 2013 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Michigan State played their home games at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Michigan and were led by seventh year head coach Mark Dantonio. The Spartans finished the year 13–1, 8–0 and undefeated in Big Ten play. By winning the Legends Division, they earned a trip to the Big Ten Championship Game, their second appearance in the championship game. Facing No. 2-ranked Ohio State, they defeated the Buckeyes 34–24, knocking Ohio State out of the running for the BCS National Championship Game. The Spartans received an invitation to the Rose Bowl, their first trip to the Rose Bowl since 1988. There they defeated No. 5-ranked Stanford for the school's first Rose Bowl win since 1988.
The 1995 Michigan State Spartans football team competed on behalf of Michigan State University as member of the Big Ten Conference during the 1995 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by first-year head coach Nick Saban, the Spartans compiled an overall record of 6–5–1 with a mark of 4–3–1 in conference play, placing fifth in Big Ten. Michigan State was invited to the Independence Bowl, where they lost on December 29 to LSU. The team played home games at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Michigan.
The 1994 Michigan State Spartans football team competed on behalf of Michigan State University as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 1994 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by George Perles was in his 12th and final season as head coach, the Spartans finished the season with an overall record of 5–6 and a mark of 4–4 in conference play, tying for fifth place in the Big Ten. Michigan State played home games at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Michigan.
The 2015–16 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team represented Michigan State University in the 2015–16 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Spartans, led by 21st-year head coach Tom Izzo, played their home games at the Breslin Center and were members of the Big Ten Conference. They finished the season 29–6, 13–5 in Big Ten play to finish in second place. They defeated Ohio State, Maryland, and Purdue to win the Big Ten tournament. As a result, they received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, their 19th straight NCAA tournament appearance. As the No. 2 seed in the Midwest region, they were upset by No. 15 seed Middle Tennessee in what is considered to be one of the biggest upsets in NCAA tournament history.
The 1956 Michigan State Spartans football team was an American football team that represented Michigan State University in the 1956 Big Ten Conference football season. In their third season under head coach Duffy Daugherty, the Spartans compiled a 7–2 overall record and were ranked No. 9 in the final AP Poll and No. 10 in the final Coaches Poll.
The 1980 Michigan State Spartans football team was an American football team that represented Michigan State University in the 1980 Big Ten Conference football season. The Spartans finished in ninth place in the Big Ten Conference, compiled a 3–8 overall record, and were outscored by their opponents by a combined total of 278 to 221. The team's .273 winning percentage was the worst in program history since the winless 1917 season. The team played its home games at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Michigan.
The 1980 Northwestern Wildcats team was an American football team that represented Northwestern University during the 1980 Big Ten Conference football season. In their third year under head coach Rick Venturi, the Wildcats finished in last place in the Big Ten Conference, compiled a 0–11 record, and were outscored by their opponents by a combined total of 444 to 151. The team played its home games at Dyche Stadium in Evanston, Illinois.
The 2017 Michigan State Spartans football team represented Michigan State University in the 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Spartans played their home games at the Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Michigan, and competed in the East Division of the Big Ten Conference. They were led by 11th-year head coach Mark Dantonio. The Spartans finished the season 10–3, 7–2 in Big Ten play to finish in a tie for second place in the East Division. The Spartans received an invitation to the Holiday Bowl where they defeated Washington State.
The 1971 Big Ten Conference football season was the 76th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1971 NCAA University Division football season.
The 1972 Big Ten Conference football season was the 77th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1972 NCAA University Division football season.
The 2017–18 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team represented Michigan State University in the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Spartans, led by 23rd-year head coach Tom Izzo, played their home games at Breslin Center in East Lansing, Michigan as members of the Big Ten Conference.
The 2018 Michigan State Spartans football team represented Michigan State University in the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Spartans played their home games at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Michigan, and competed in the East Division of the Big Ten Conference. They were led by 12th-year head coach Mark Dantonio.
The 2019 Michigan State Spartans football team represented Michigan State University in the 2019 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Spartans played their home games at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Michigan, and competed as member of the East Division of the Big Ten Conference. They were led by head coach Mark Dantonio in his 13th and final season at MSU.
