Michigan State and Notre Dame have 74 meetings on file, the first in 1899; officially, Notre Dame leads 43–28–1; as played, 45–28–1 in the games on file. Over the last 10 meetings it’s Notre Dame 6–4, and Notre Dame has won the last 2. The winner takes home the Megaphone Trophy, played for since 1949. Notre Dame has held it since the 2017 game. The NCAA vacated Notre Dame’s two wins (2012 and 2013); they don’t count officially. This page counts every game as it was played. Share
Scheduled2027 at Michigan State. As the programs’ Wikipedia articles list them (CC BY-SA).
Who holds it comes from the games on file: the winner of the latest regular-season meeting since 1949 (bowl rematches aren’t played for it); a tie leaves it with the holder (the usual rule; the article doesn’t say). The rivalry’s article counts the games for it: Notre Dame leads, 34–27–1. From Wikipedia’s list of rivalry games and the rivalry’s article (CC BY-SA). More on the Megaphone Trophy.
Games that tell the story
The Game of the Century (1966)1966: Michigan State 10, Notre Dame 10 (tie)No. 1 Notre Dame and No. 2 Michigan State played to a 10–10 tie in East Lansing; both were unbeaten afterward.
Head-coach pairings with three or more meetings on file, the series read from Michigan State’s side (Munn 3–2 against Leahy). A season split between coaches goes to the one credited with the game.
Both programs through the years
Michigan State Notre DameTicks under the axis: each meeting, in the winner’s color
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.
Public-domain newspapers from the Library of Congress’s Chronicling America, found through the American Stories dataset (Dell and Harvard, CC BY 4.0). The earliest meetings with a story on file; each game’s page has the full text.
On television
ESPN’s College GameDay has broadcast from this game once: 2004.
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