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Michigan State vs. Nebraska

Michigan State and Nebraska have 15 meetings on file, the first in 1914; officially, Nebraska leads 11–⁠3; as played, 11–⁠4 in the games on file. Over the last 10 meetings it’s Nebraska 6–⁠4, and Nebraska has won the last 2. The NCAA vacated Michigan State’s win (2023); it doesn’t count officially. This page counts every game as it was played.

Official series
Nebraska leads 11–⁠3
Michigan State wins on file
4
Nebraska wins on file
11
Ties
0
Earliest on file
1914
Longest streak
7 Nebraska
Current streak
2 Nebraska
Last 10 meetings
Nebraska 6–⁠4
Most recent
2026

The series at a glance

’0’1’2’3’4’5’6’7’8’9W–L
1910s0–⁠1
1920s0–⁠1
1990s0–⁠2
2000s0–⁠1
2010s2–⁠4
2020s2–⁠2
Both ranked
2 meetings: Michigan State 1, Nebraska 1
Average margin
15.3 points; 6 decided by one score (8 or fewer)
At Michigan State
3–⁠3 Michigan State’s record at home
At Nebraska
7–⁠1 Nebraska’s record at home
Neutral sites
0–⁠1 Michigan State first
Shutouts
1

Every meeting on file, as played. Ranks are the AP poll’s going in.

Games that tell the story

  1. Michigan State’s biggest win2013: Michigan State 41, Nebraska 28by 13 points
  2. Nebraska’s biggest win1996: Nebraska 55, Michigan State 14by 41 points
  3. Upset2015: Nebraska 39, Michigan State 38Nebraska had a 29% chance, by our ratings before kickoff
  4. Ranked showdown2011: Nebraska 24, Michigan State 3No. 9 Michigan State at No. 13 Nebraska
  5. Ranked showdown2014: Michigan State 27, Nebraska 22No. 19 Nebraska at No. 10 Michigan State

Coach against coach

YearsMichigan StateSeriesNebraska
2011–⁠2014Mark Dantonio2–⁠2Bo Pelini

Head-coach pairings with three or more meetings on file, the series read from Michigan State’s side (Dantonio 2–⁠2 against Pelini). A season split between coaches goes to the one credited with the game.

Both programs through the years

End-of-season Elo ratings of Michigan State and Nebraska, 1914 on1300150017001900192019401960198020002020

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.

Stars of the series

Biggest days

Taylor Martinez Nebraska17 carries, 205 yards, 2 TD2012 Rushing

Biggest days: the week’s best individual games by our big-days rule, from box scores (2004 on).

On television

2025FS11.5 million viewers
2026BTN0.9 million viewers

Viewers: Nielsen, as compiled by nschultz7’s ratings tracker.

Photos

From the rivalry’s and its games’ categories on Wikimedia Commons (free licenses only, each credited).

Every game

Sep 26, 2026Nebraska 31, Michigan State 13at Michigan State
Oct 4, 2025Nebraska 38, Michigan State 27at Nebraska
Nov 4, 2023Michigan State 20, Nebraska 17vacatedat Michigan State
Sep 25, 202120Michigan State 23, Nebraska 20at Michigan State
Nov 17, 2018Nebraska 9, Michigan State 6at Nebraska
Nov 7, 2015Nebraska 39, 6Michigan State 38at Nebraska
Oct 4, 201410Michigan State 27, 19Nebraska 22at Michigan State
Nov 16, 201314Michigan State 41, Nebraska 28at Nebraska
Nov 3, 201221Nebraska 28, Michigan State 24at Michigan State
Oct 29, 201113Nebraska 24, 9Michigan State 3at Nebraska
Dec 29, 200323Nebraska 17, Michigan State 3Bobby Dodd StadiumAlamo Bowl
Sep 7, 19961Nebraska 55, Michigan State 14at Nebraska
Sep 9, 19952Nebraska 50, Michigan State 10at Michigan State
Nov 20, 1920Nebraska 35, Michigan State 7at Nebraska
Oct 24, 1914Nebraska 24, Michigan State 0at Nebraska

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.