Michigan State Football updated 2022 schedule unveiled

The Michigan State Spartans kick off the 2022 football season in 234 days, but if fans already have the season schedule printed out to hang on your fridge, then you would do well to get a new one up soon. That is because the Big Ten Network unveiled the updated 2022 Big Ten conference football schedule we told you last week would be coming at some point soon.

It was obvious as a result of the 2020 schedule changes that, at a minimum, fans should expect the 2022 schedule to feature changes to the original venues for the Michigan game in East Lansing and the Indiana game in Bloomington. That was done in 2020 with part of the goal in mind to better balance home schedules for ticket sales in future years so that Michigan State would no longer host both Michigan and Ohio State in East Lansing in the same year and then play both on the road the next year.

However, fans may have noticed on Tuesday that Penn State accidentally leaked the updated schedule for the Nittany Lions for 2022, and listed the visit by Michigan State as the final game of the regular season for the two teams. That contrasts with the original schedule, as you can see at the bottom of this article where we have listed out the original 2022 schedule, which had Michigan State finishing the 2022 season at Maryland.

There are a number of other shifts from that schedule to what it is below as well. However, first up here is the new 2022 schedule as released today by the Big Ten.

Fans will notice that Minnesota is moved up to replace the early Ohio State matchup. Michigan State follows that up with a trip to College Park to take on Maryland instead of visiting Illinois. Ohio State takes the place of the Wisconsin game on Oct. 8 and Wisconsin is bumped back one week to Oct. 15. That moves back Michigan State’s bye week to Oct. 22 and the trip to Michigan one week as well to Oct. 29.

The trip to Illinois is now scheduled for Nov. 5 instead of hosting Minnesota that day. The Spartans wrap up the season in November with Rutgers and Indiana at home before the final game of the regular season is now a trip to State College to take on Penn State for the Land Grant Trophy. That game at Penn State is moved back from Oct. 29 and replaces a regular season finale at Maryland.

Also of note is that the schedule may still be adjusted with some Saturday games moving to Thursday and Friday dates. Michigan State has generally tried to play the Labor Day weekend matchup on Fridays over the last decade so expect that the visit from Western Michigan potentially moving to Friday, Sept. 2 later this year.

What do you all think of the new schedule?