Michigan State Spartans at Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Sat Sep 19 · 6:30 PM CT
By Pablo SanchezUpdated 8d ago·2 min read
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The Megaphone Trophy hasn't changed hands since 2017. This time Notre Dame shows up with a Heisman hopeful at quarterback and Michigan State shows up with a brand-new coaching staff still figuring out who they are.
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MSUND
MSUND
OverUnder
Best BetNotre Dame
Notre Dame brings back its starting quarterback and a top-shelf receiver room while Michigan State is still installing a new coaching staff's system. That's about as clean an edge as you'll find in a moneyline spot — back the Irish here.
Michigan State
+New coach Fitzgerald brings fresh system, energy
+Milivojevic finished 2025 hot: 986 yds, 7 TD
−Fired previous coach after 4-8, 1-8 in Big Ten
−Lost top 3 pass catchers from 2025 roster
Notre Dame
+Carr returns: 2,741 yds, 24-6 TD-INT ratio
+Deep, retooled WR room with portal additions
−Missed CFP despite 10-2 finish, sting lingers
−Opened 2025 0-2 before finding footing
CJ Carr is the story in South Bend before a snap is even played. He threw for 2,741 yards with a 24-to-6 touchdown-to-interception ratio last season, and he's back for year 2 as the first returning starting quarterback Notre Dame has had since 2020. That kind of continuity, paired with a receiver room that adds Ohio State transfers Mylan Graham and Quincy Porter to holdovers Jordan Faison and Jaden Greathouse, is why the Irish are being talked about as national title contenders on Saturday, September 19.
Michigan State is starting over. Jonathan Smith got fired after a 4-8 season that included a 1-8 collapse in Big Ten play, and Pat Fitzgerald was hired the next day to try to stop the bleeding. Redshirt sophomore Alessio Milivojevic is projected to run the offense after a promising 4-game stretch to close 2025, and Fitzgerald has gone the transfer portal route to rebuild a receiver corps that lost its top three pass catchers, bringing in Notre Dame transfer KK Smith and Michigan transfer Fredrick Moore.
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MSU Michigan State
ND Notre Dame
This is only the 80th meeting in a series Notre Dame has dominated historically, leading 48-28-1 overall, but this particular renewal comes loaded with contrast. One program is chasing a Heisman campaign and a playoff bid it just missed out on. The other is trying to figure out its identity under a coach who's been on the job for all of one offseason.
Michigan State Spartans
Sep 12?vs Eastern Michigan—
Sep 4?vs Toledo—
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Sep 12?vs Rice—
Sep 6?vs Wisconsin—
Recent form.
Notre Dame's 2025 season was a wild ride that colors how this one gets framed. Marcus Freeman's team opened 0-2, then reeled off 10 straight wins, only to get left out of the 12-team playoff field when the committee leaned on an early loss to Miami. That near-miss is fuel, and it's part of why this year's Irish squad is being framed as a revenge tour. Michigan State, meanwhile, is looking for any sign of life after finishing a distant last in Big Ten competitiveness a year ago — a win over Maryland to close the season was the lone bright spot in an eight-game losing stretch.
Michigan State Spartans
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Injury report — info via ESPN.
The gap between these two rosters right now is significant, but rivalry games have a way of making results feel bigger than the numbers on paper suggest. Notre Dame fans have circled this one for the Heisman coming-out party angle. Michigan State fans are just hoping Fitzgerald's team is competitive enough in September to build something that carries into October and beyond.
