Central Michigan vs. Michigan State
Central Michigan and Michigan State have 12 meetings on file, the first in 1991; officially, Michigan State leads 8–3; as played, 9–3 in the games on file. Over the last 10 meetings it’s Michigan State 9–1, and Michigan State has won the last 5. The NCAA vacated Michigan State’s win (2023); it doesn’t count officially. This page counts every game as it was played. Share
2027 at Michigan State Sept. 11; 2030 at Michigan State Aug. 31. As the programs’ Wikipedia articles list them (CC BY-SA).
- Official series
- Michigan State leads 8–3
- Central Michigan wins on file
- 3
- Michigan State wins on file
- 9
- Ties
- 0
- Earliest on file
- 1991
- Longest streak
- 5 Michigan State
- Current streak
- 5 Michigan State
- Last 10 meetings
- Michigan State 9–1
- Most recent
- 2023
The series at a glance
| ’0 | ’1 | ’2 | ’3 | ’4 | ’5 | ’6 | ’7 | ’8 | ’9 | W–L | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2–2 | ||||||||||
| 2000s | 1–2 | ||||||||||
| 2010s | 0–4 | ||||||||||
| 2020s | 0–1 |
- Average margin
- 18.8 points; 2 decided by one score (8 or fewer)
- At Central Michigan
- 0–1 Central Michigan’s record at home
- At Michigan State
- 8–3 Michigan State’s record at home
Every meeting on file, as played. Ranks are the AP poll’s going in.
Games that tell the story
- Central Michigan’s biggest win1991: Central Michigan 20, Michigan State 3by 17 points
- Michigan State’s biggest win2011: Michigan State 45, Central Michigan 7by 38 points
- Upset1991: Central Michigan 20, Michigan State 3Central Michigan had a 30% chance, by our ratings before kickoff
- Upset2009: Central Michigan 29, Michigan State 27Central Michigan had a 31% chance, by our ratings before kickoff
Coach against coach
| Years | Central Michigan | Series | Michigan State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991–1993 | Herb Deromedi | 2–1 | George Perles |
Head-coach pairings with three or more meetings on file, the series read from Central Michigan’s side (Deromedi 2–1 against Perles). A season split between coaches goes to the one credited with the game.
Both programs through the years
Our Elo rating at the end of each season, a measure of how strong a team was, not a forecast; 1500 is an average FBS team.
Every game
| Sep 1, 2023 | Michigan State 31, Central Michigan 7vacated | at Michigan State | ||
| Sep 29, 2018 | 21Michigan State 31, Central Michigan 20 | at Michigan State | ||
| Sep 26, 2015 | 2Michigan State 30, Central Michigan 10 | at Michigan State | ||
| Sep 8, 2012 | 11Michigan State 41, Central Michigan 7 | at Central Michigan | ||
| Sep 24, 2011 | Michigan State 45, Central Michigan 7 | at Michigan State | ||
| Sep 12, 2009 | Central Michigan 29, Michigan State 27 | at Michigan State | ||
| Sep 11, 2004 | Michigan State 24, Central Michigan 7 | at Michigan State | ||
| Sep 8, 2001 | Michigan State 35, Central Michigan 21 | at Michigan State | ||
| Oct 3, 1998 | Michigan State 38, Central Michigan 7 | at Michigan State | ||
| Sep 25, 1993 | Michigan State 48, Central Michigan 34 | at Michigan State | ||
| Sep 12, 1992 | Central Michigan 24, Michigan State 20 | at Michigan State | ||
| Sep 14, 1991 | Central Michigan 20, 18Michigan State 3 | at Michigan State |
Every game is listed as played on the field; a win the NCAA later vacated is marked “vacated”; the official series above counts them the NCAA’s way.