Michigan State vs. Rutgers
Michigan State and Rutgers have 16 meetings on file, the first in 1988; officially, Michigan State leads 9–6; as played, 10–6 in the games on file. Over the last 10 meetings it’s Michigan State 7–3, and Rutgers has won the last 2. The NCAA vacated Michigan State’s win (2022); it doesn’t count officially. This page counts every game as it was played. Share
- Official series
- Michigan State leads 9–6
- Michigan State wins on file
- 10
- Rutgers wins on file
- 6
- Ties
- 0
- Earliest on file
- 1988
- Longest streak
- 6 Michigan State
- Current streak
- 2 Rutgers
- Last 10 meetings
- Michigan State 7–3
- Most recent
- 2024
The series at a glance
| ’0 | ’1 | ’2 | ’3 | ’4 | ’5 | ’6 | ’7 | ’8 | ’9 | W–L | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0–1 | ||||||||||
| 1990s | 1–1 | ||||||||||
| 2000s | 1–1 | ||||||||||
| 2010s | 6–0 | ||||||||||
| 2020s | 2–3 |
- Average margin
- 17.7 points; 7 decided by one score (8 or fewer)
- At Michigan State
- 5–4 Michigan State’s record at home
- At Rutgers
- 2–5 Rutgers’s record at home
- Shutouts
- 2
Every meeting on file, as played. Ranks are the AP poll’s going in.
Games that tell the story
- Michigan State’s biggest win2016: Michigan State 49, Rutgers 0by 49 points
- Rutgers’s biggest win2024: Rutgers 41, Michigan State 14by 27 points
- Upset2020: Rutgers 38, Michigan State 27Rutgers had a 20% chance, by our ratings before kickoff
- Upset1988: Rutgers 17, Michigan State 13Rutgers had a 24% chance, by our ratings before kickoff
- Upset1991: Rutgers 14, Michigan State 7Rutgers had a 25% chance, by our ratings before kickoff
Coach against coach
| Years | Michigan State | Series | Rutgers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016–2018 | Mark Dantonio | 3–0 | Chris Ash |
| 2020–2022 | Mel Tucker | 2–1 | Greg Schiano |
Head-coach pairings with three or more meetings on file, the series read from Michigan State’s side (Dantonio 3–0 against Ash). 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.
Stars of the series
Biggest days
| Jalen Nailor Michigan State | 5 catches, 221 yards, 3 TD | 2021 Receiving | |
| Ken Walker III Michigan State | 29 carries, 233 yards, 1 TD | 2021 Rushing |
Biggest days: the week’s best individual games by our big-days rule, from box scores (2004 on).
Every game
| Nov 28, 2026 | Michigan State at Rutgers upcoming | at Rutgers | ||
| Nov 30, 2024 | Rutgers 41, Michigan State 14 | at Michigan State | ||
| Oct 14, 2023 | Rutgers 27, Michigan State 24 | at Rutgers | ||
| Nov 12, 2022 | Michigan State 27, Rutgers 21vacated | at Michigan State | ||
| Oct 9, 2021 | 11Michigan State 31, Rutgers 13 | at Rutgers | ||
| Oct 24, 2020 | Rutgers 38, Michigan State 27 | at Michigan State | ||
| Nov 23, 2019 | Michigan State 27, Rutgers 0 | at Rutgers | ||
| Nov 24, 2018 | Michigan State 14, Rutgers 10 | at Michigan State | ||
| Nov 25, 2017 | 21Michigan State 40, Rutgers 7 | at Rutgers | ||
| Nov 12, 2016 | Michigan State 49, Rutgers 0 | at Michigan State | ||
| Oct 10, 2015 | 4Michigan State 31, Rutgers 24 | at Rutgers | ||
| Nov 22, 2014 | 10Michigan State 45, Rutgers 3 | at Michigan State | ||
| Sep 4, 2004 | Rutgers 19, Michigan State 14 | at Rutgers | ||
| Sep 6, 2003 | Michigan State 44, Rutgers 28 | at Michigan State | ||
| Sep 28, 1991 | Rutgers 14, Michigan State 7 | at Michigan State | ||
| Sep 29, 1990 | 22Michigan State 34, Rutgers 10 | at Rutgers | ||
| Sep 10, 1988 | Rutgers 17, 15Michigan State 13 | 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.