Michigan State Spartans schedule future football series with Central Michigan Chippewas

The Michigan State Spartans, earlier today, announced a future football series against the in-state foe, Central Michigan Chippewas.

The Spartans and Chippewas will play on Sept. 2, 2023; Sept. 11 2027; and Aug. 21, 2030. The Chips will make the roughly 70-mile trip from Mount Pleasant to East Lansing each time, as all games will take place at Spartan Stadium. In fact in 11 previous games between the two schools, Central Michigan has only hosted one time, in 2012.

The two programs last met in 2018, when Michigan State defeated Central Michigan by a score of 31-20. The Spartans lead the all-time series with eight wins versus three losses against the Chippewas, and have won four games in a row. CMU last defeated MSU in 2009 by a score of 29-27, stunning the Spartans in East Lansing.

CMU is coming off of a strong campaign in 2019 in head coach Jim McElwain’s first season, winning the MAC West division with a 6-2 conference record and 8-4 regular season record, before losing to Miami (Ohio) in the MAC championship game and losing to San Diego State in the New Mexico Bowl. It was a huge turnaround from the Chippewas’ 2018 campaign, in which the team finished 1-11 and 0-8 in conference play.

According to the contract, Michigan State will pay Central Michigan a combined $4.75 million for the three games ($1.75 million in 2023 and $1.5 million each for 2027 and 2030).

Future non-conference opponents for Michigan State include:

2021: Youngstown State, at Miami (FL.), Western Kentucky
2022: Western Michigan, Akron, at Boise State
2023: Central Michigan, Richmond, Boise State
2024: Florida Atlantic, at Boston College, TBA
2025: Western Michigan, Youngstown State, Boston College
2026: Notre Dame (verbal agreement), TBA, TBA
2027: Central Michigan, Notre Dame (verbal agreement), TBA
2028: at Washington, TBA, TBA
2029: Oregon, TBA, TBA
2030: Central Michigan, at Oregon, TBA
2031: Washington, TBA, TBA

It is somewhat nonsensical to think about games in 2030 and beyond when we are unsure what football will even look like in 2020, but here we are.