msu bowl game – Syndication Server

Slim chances of MSU Football going bowling dashed by Louisiana Tech

For about an hour or two on Saturday, there was a slim chance we could see Michigan State play another game this year

For about an hour or two on Saturday, there was a slim chance we could see Michigan State play another game this year. But that was dashed thanks to Louisana Tech.

As we noted in a post yesterday, Marshall was forced to drop out of the Independence Bowl due to the number of players entering the transfer portal, and it opened the window for a 5-7 team to take their spot. So for a short amount of time, there was a chance Michigan State would be asked to play in Marshall’s spot. However, that is no longer in play.

Brett McMurphy of Action Network reported on Saturday afternoon that Louisiana Tech would take Marshall’s spot in the Indpendence Bowl. The Bulldogs were also 5-7 and are located close to Shreveport, Louisiana where the bowl game is played.

There was never really a great chance of Michigan State landing in this bowl game as there were a ton of logistical items that would make it unlikely. But we now know for sure that it won’t be happening. We will have to wait until August 2025 to see Michigan State football take the field again.

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Robert Bondy on X @RobertBondy5.

Could MSU Football still go bowling after all? There’s technically now a chance that could happen

As of right now, the Michigan State football season is over. But, that could potentially change…

Update: This opportunity was taken by Louisiana Tech.

As of right now, the Michigan State football season is over. But, that could potentially change…

College football insider Brett McMurphy of Action Network reported on Saturday afternoon that Marshall has to pull out of the Independence Bowl due to the large number of players on their current roster that hit the transfer portal. This effectively means that Army — who was set to play Marshall in the bowl game — is left without an opponent.

Here’s where Michigan State could slide into the game. According to McMurphy, the Independence Bowl is going to look to find a 5-7 team to replace Marshall in the game. As fans should know, Michigan State finished the year 5-7 overall and did not qualify for a bowl game following a blowout loss in the season finale against Rutgers.

The Independence Bowl is played in Shreveport, Louisana on December 28.

McMurphy pointed out that it’s unlikely that a team will be available to play in the bowl game due to many players already heading home for the holidays. For Michigan State, the fall semester wrapped up this past week and odds are most of the team has left East Lansing, Mich. already.

So, technically, there’s a chance Michigan State could get offered the opportunity to play in the bowl game. But it’s most likely they would turn down that opportunity should it get offered their way anyway.

We will watch for any further reports on the Independence Bowl as a new team to replace Marshall would need to be announced very soon. I wouldn’t hold your breath on this actually happening, but, there’s at least a chance as of now that we will get one more game of Michigan State football this year.

Click here to see an update to this original post

MSU Football hits new low among Big Ten peers with three year bowl drought

Congratulations Michigan State football… you are in a class of your own among your Big Ten peers

Congratulations Michigan State football… you are in a class of your own among your Big Ten peers.

With Saturday’s embarrassing blowout loss to Rutgers, Michigan State officially missed out on the bowl season for a third straight year. Michigan State needed a victory over Rutgers to become bowl-eligible in Jonathan Smith’s first year as the Spartans’ head coach.

It’s disappointing that Michigan State will not be playing in the postseason again this year, especially after a 3-0 start to the year, and quite honestly, a nearly 4-0 start before blowing a late lead against Boston College. But the three-year bowl drought is even worse when you look at all of the other Big Ten teams.

Michigan State is now the only team of all 18 in the Big Ten that will not play in a bowl game over the last three seasons. That means every other team has either already played in a bowl the past two seasons or will be bowling this year. That’s simply bad.

Michigan State still has the ability to get back to winning big if things come together in the right way. But the last three years (and really four of the last five with 2021 being the anomaly) have been rough. It’s an understatement to say Michigan State must get back to a bowl next year as a minimum for the program to get back on track.

It’s going to be a long offseason for the football program. Hopefully, we won’t be having this same bad taste in our mouths this time next year.

Analyst likes Spartans’ chances of reaching bowl game despite recent slide

Things have been rough for the Spartans the past two weeks, but that doesn’t mean they’re out of bowl contention

Things have been rough for the Spartans the past two weeks, but that doesn’t mean they’re out of bowl contention.

Spartans Illustrated writer and analytics guru Paul Fanson is still giving Michigan State solid odds of reaching the postseason for the first time in three years. Fanson took to social media platform X on Sunday morning to note that Michigan State still has a 71 percent chance of reaching a bowl game based on his analytics model.

Click here to see the complete post from Fanson.

Michigan State is on a bye next week, but from there they have the remaining three games on their schedule:

November 16: at Illinois
November 22: vs. Purdue
November 30: vs. Rutgers

With a 4-5 overall record, Michigan State will need to win two of the final three games to reach bowl eligibility. All three of those games will be considered winnable but don’t be surprised if it comes down to the final game of the season for Michigan State to clinch a bowl berth.

Click here to see the latest bowl projections on CBS Sports — which currently have the Spartans heading to the postseason.

MSU Football: Breaking down Spartans’ chances of reaching bowl game

Believe it or not, Michigan State football could still find its way into a bowl game this year. Here’s a breakdown of how that can happen.

With a win over Indiana last week, Michigan State football has put themselves in a position to earn a bowl bid this week. It’s very unlikely, but there’s a slim chance should things go the Spartans way this weekend.

At 4-7, Michigan State can not finish the season with a winning record and reach the minimum six wins necessary to earn a bowl bid. However, Brett McMurphy of Action Network is projecting there’s a chance there will be spots for teams at 5-7 to receive a bowl bid due to there not being enough six-win teams this year. At the moment, there are 14 open spots remaining for teams to fill all of the 82 bowl game slots, and 23 teams are still alive to reach bowl eligibility. James Madison and Jacksonville State would be the first two teams to get offered bids ahead of the 5-7 teams should there not be enough bowl-eligible teams — this is due to them being bowl eligible by number of wins but ineligible to go to a bowl game per NCAA transition rule.

When it comes to which 5-7 teams receive a bowl bid, that’s when the Academic Progress Report (APR) rankings come into place. According to College Football News, Michigan State ranks No. 28 nationally which is one of the higher spots when it comes to teams that could finish 5-7 and are in play for one of the open bowl bids.

So what you’re telling me is there’s a chance? Yes, there is! The odds aren’t particularly high (not at all actually) but still a chance nonetheless. Here’s what needs to happen for Michigan State to receive a bowl bid this year:

Win their remaining game against Penn State. A loss to the Nittany Lions ends any postseason chances for the Spartans.
Have enough things bounce the Spartans’ way where there are enough slots for 5-7 teams to receive a bowl bid and Michigan State is listed as one of the top 5-7 teams in the APR rankings to receive one of those bids.

Like I said, it’s not very likely at all but, hey, after this season I think we would all take any chance of reaching the postseason at this point, right?

So with all of this being said, I’ve outlined below a number of games this week that could impact the Spartans’ chances of going bowling. These are games that are specific to teams that would effectively move ahead of the Spartans for an open-bowl bid.

So without further ado, here is the Michigan State rooting guide for week 13 games:

While unlikely, here’s how MSU Football can still reach a bowl game this year

Believe it or not, Michigan State football could still find its way into a bowl game this year

Believe it or not, Michigan State football could still find its way into a bowl game this year.

At 3-7, Michigan State can not finish the season with a winning record and reach the minimum six wins necessary to earn a bowl bid. However, Brett McMurphy of Action Network is projecting there could be at least three spots for teams at 5-7 to receive a bowl bid due to there not being enough six-win teams this year.

Click on the tweet below to get a full breakdown from McMurphy on how this all works:

My Bowl-Eligibility Tracker: 58 teams in for 82 spots. 36 teams still able to reach 6 wins. Conference breakdown w/projected point spreads for final 2 weeks. If favored teams win all games, only 19 more get bowl eligible & will need three 5-7 teams https://t.co/Ow24zflzME

— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) November 16, 2023

Win their remaining two games against Indiana and Penn State. A loss in either of those games ends any postseason chances for the Spartans.
Have enough things bounce the Spartans’ way where there are enough slots for 5-7 teams to receive a bowl bid and Michigan State is listed as one of the top 5-7 teams in the APR rankings to receive one of those bids.

Like I said, it’s not very likely at all but, hey, after this season I think we would all take any chance of reaching the postseason at this point, right?

So with all of this being said, I’ve outlined below a number of games this week that could impact the Spartans’ chances of going bowling. These are games that are specific to teams that may reach bowl eligibility or could reach at least five wins and end up ahead of the Spartans in the APR bowl bid pecking order.

If Michigan State beats Indiana this week, then I’ll reassess and provide an update on where things stand heading into the season finale against Penn State. For now, check out the Michigan State rooting guide for week 12 games below:

Michigan State football’s season is officially over, will not play in bowl game this year

The Michigan State football 2022 season is officially over

The Michigan State football 2022 season is officially over.

For only the third time in the last 16 seasons, Michigan State will not play in a bowl game. This is the second time in the first three seasons under Mel Tucker that the Spartans aren’t bowling.

Michigan State finished the season 5-7 and failed to win one of their final two games to automatically lock up a bowl bid. However, there was still a slim chance entering this week that they’d be offered a bowl bid due Academic Progress Rate (APR) tiebreakers. The scenarios that needed to occur for that to happen didn’t, and Michigan State didn’t receive a bowl bid on Sunday.

The Spartans will now turn their focus to the offseason, with potential changes to the coaching staff coming in the next few weeks. Michigan State will next take the field in an official game against Central Michigan on Sept. 2, 2023 at Spartan Stadium.

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan state news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Robert Bondy on Twitter @RobertBondy5.

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Bowl matchups for each Big Ten team this year

See where each Big Ten team will be spending the holiday season this year

urdueBowl season is officially upon us.

Nine teams from the Big Ten will be heading to a bowl game this year, with Michigan State unfortunately not cracking the cut. The Spartans finished the season 5-7 and due to Academic Progress Report (APR) tiebreakers fell just short of receiving a bowl bid.

But that doesn’t mean we can’t take a look at the other Big Ten related bowl games. Here’s a look at where every Big Ten team will be spending the holiday season:

How MSU can still reach a bowl game regardless of Saturday’s outcome vs. Penn State

Wins by Alabama, Western Kentucky and Kent State this week could help propel MSU into a bowl game. Here’s how that’s possible and what games you should keep an eye on this upcoming weekend.

There’s still a chance Michigan State can find themselves bowling this year if they come up short against Penn State in next week’s season finale. That possibility is thanks to a solid Academic Progress Report (APR) ranking the Spartans hold.

The Spartans blew their easiest chance of reaching bowl eligibility this past weekend when they let a 17-point lead slip away against a lousy Indiana Hoosiers squad that hadn’t won a game in two months. That win would have put Michigan State at 6-5 and bowl eligible, but instead, the Spartans are now 5-6 and in need of a win over Penn State this week to automatically lock up a bowl bid.

Michigan State enters Saturday’s matchup in Happy Valley as a three-possession underdog so odds are they won’t be leaving with a victory over the Nittany Lions. So if the likely outcome of a Spartans’ loss against Penn State occurs, do they still have a chance to reach a bowl game? Actually, yes they do.

At the moment, there are only 73 bowl eligible teams with 82 slots needed for the 41 bowl games. That means there are nine spots still open with only two guaranteed spots to be secured (winner take all matchups for bowl eligibility) this upcoming week. If there are weren’t enough bowl eligible teams, then Michigan State would be potentially second in line as a 5-7 squad to sneak into an at a large bowl bid. Other potential 5-7 squads with higher or tied APR rankings than Michigan State (No. 27) are Rice (No. 5), Iowa State (No. 17), UNLV (No. 21), Auburn (No. 27) and Missouri (No. 27). Both Iowa State and UNLV are 4-7 currently and would need wins this weekend to even be part of the APR-bowl discussion. Auburn and Missouri are 5-6 and can clinch bowl eligiblity with a win but are also in play since they are tied with the Spartans at No. 27 in the APR rankings.

So, with all of this being said, who does Michigan State need to win this week to help them secure a bowl bid at 5-7? I have you covered with a list of all the games that will impact the Spartans’ chances of backdooring their way into a bowl bid, and who you should be rooting for should you want to see that happen:

Will MSU reach a bowl game? Predicting final three games and where the Spartans could end up this bowl season

What are the chances Michigan State is going to make a bowl game? We take a look at the Spartans’ final three games and predict whether or not they’ll reach bowl eligibility

Michigan State got a massive upset victory on Saturday afternoon and it should go a long way in helping the Spartans reach a bowl game.

With the win over Illinois, Michigan State moved to 4-5 on the season and now is two wins shy of bowl eligibility with three games left on the schedule. Those games are against Rutgers, Indiana and Penn State — so do you think they will get the job done?

See what my thoughts are on the final three games and whether or not I have the Spartans finishing strong enough to reach a bowl game this holiday season: