Northwestern AP 25 at Michigan State
Northwestern at Michigan State final: Northwestern beat Michigan State 24–21. The Gotta See It Meter called it worth having on: 28 of 100 (I'll Bite), mostly on power-conference matchup and how good both teams are.
- Date
- Saturday, Oct 17, 2026
- Final
- Northwestern 24, Mich. State 21
- Line score
1 2 3 4 T NW 3 7 3 11 24 MSU 7 7 0 7 21 - TV
- Peacock · Streaming only · Peacock
- Venue
- Spartan Stadium
- City
- East Lansing, MI
- Week
- Week 7
- Conference game
- Yes
- Line
- Northwestern −7.5 · won, no coverO/U 49.5 · Under @ 45
I'll Bite
Northwestern5–1
Wvs South Dakota State34–18
Wvs Colorado41–7
Lat Indiana23–29
Wvs Penn State34–13
Wvs Ball State45–14
Wat Mich. State24–21
Nothing since.
Mich. State2–5
Wvs Toledo30–20
Wvs E. Michigan35–7
Lat Notre Dame10–27
Lvs Nebraska13–31
Lat Wisconsin3–31
Lvs Illinois37–38
Lvs Northwestern21–24
Nothing since.
What was expected
Line, rankings, stats below remain as they were heading into the game.
These two combine for 56.7 points a game and Mich. State plays fast — 66.3 snaps a game, 77th nationally. Vegas set the total at 49.5. The last 4 meetings have averaged a 14.3-point margin.
| Northwestern | AP 25 |
|---|---|
| Michigan State |
Blowout riskNahdecided by 3 HIT
PaceSnailNorthwestern Snail · Mich. State Speed Limit
SeriesSplit Decisionavg margin 14.3 over 4 meetingsdecided by 3 MISS
The matchup
season averages · national rank in FBS below each · the fuller bar leads
| Northwestern | Michigan State | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Points per game | 35.438th | 21.3112th | |
| Points allowed | 16.222nd | 25.788th | |
| Yards per play | 7.011th | 4.7129th | |
| Yards allowed per play | 5.263rd | 5.588th | |
| Plays per game | 62.8111th | 66.377th | |
| Turnover margin | +611th | -4116th | |
| 3rd down conversion | 41.8%66th | 42.5%59th |
More stats +11
| Northwestern | Michigan State | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rushing yards per game | 203.032nd | 124.2111th | |
| Passing yards per game | 234.465th | 187.5109th | |
| QB completion rate | 70.2%13th | 66.5%46th | |
| QB yards per attempt | 10.34th | 6.7110th | |
| O-line rank | 95thline yards · sack rate | 127thline yards · sack rate | |
| D-line rank | 59thstuff rate · havoc | 93rdstuff rate · havoc | |
| Sacks | 8105th | 7117th | |
| Interceptions | 623rd | 2105th | |
| Forced fumbles | 276th | 1114th | |
| Penalties per game | 8.2121st | 4.26th | |
| Time of possession | 30:0171st | 30:4656th |
The series
Mich. State leads 3–1 over the last 4
| Year | Result | Margin |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Mich. State 38–21 | 17 |
| 2020 | Mich. State 29–20 | 9 |
| 2019 | Mich. State 31–10 | 21 |
| 2018 | Northwestern 29–19 | 10 |
How to watch
| Network | Peacock |
|---|---|
| Stream | Streaming only · Peacock |
| Final | Northwestern 24, Mich. State 21 |
| Where | Spartan Stadium, East Lansing, MI |
What the Meter sees
| Power-conference matchupTwo of the big four on the same field — the bump, plus the floor every power-conference team carries | +14.0 |
|---|---|
| How good both teams are (#23 vs unranked)Both teams' poll votes, with a smaller bonus for the one ranked side | +5.8 |
| Conference gameLeague standings are on the line | +5.0 |
| Vegas says it's closeClosing spread of 7.5 — the tighter the number, the bigger the bump | +2.6 |
| Where it's onPeacock — a network puts its best games where everyone can find them | +1.0 |
| Gotta See It Meter™ | 28 |
Still Ball0–5Worth a Flip6–17I'll Bite18–33Ready to Rumble34–59Thunderdome60–99Maximum100
Quick answers
- What was the final score of Northwestern vs Michigan State?
- Northwestern beat Michigan State 24–21.
- What channel is Northwestern vs Michigan State on?
- Peacock.
- Where is Northwestern vs Michigan State played?
- Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, MI.