Michigan State football at Michigan set for 7:30 p.m. kickoff on ABC

The kickoff time for Michigan State’s Week Nine matchup against Michigan has been officially set. ABC will air the game, which is set to begin at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time.

The No. 4/3 Michigan Wolverines welcome the Michigan State Spartans to Ann Arbor for the third time in the past four seasons.

The primetime matchup marks just the second time in series history the game will start under the lights and just six seasons after the first time that occurred in 2017. Michigan State jumped out to an early 14-3 lead heading into halftime, then held on through torrential rains in the second half to outlast Michigan for a 14-10 victory in that lone nighttime meeting.

The Spartans will be off this week prior to the matchup, looking to heal and rest up while capitalizing on a victory over Wisconsin this past Saturday. That win moved MSU to 3-4 overall and 1-3 in Big Ten play while also snapping a four-game losing streak.

Michigan (7-0, 4-0 Big Ten) will also be off this week following a 41-17 home victory over Penn State. The Wolverines are looking to snap a two-game losing streak to Michigan State in the series next week, as Jim Harbaugh has yet to notch a win over rival head coach Mel Tucker following back-to-back losses of 27-24 in Ann Arbor in 2020 and 37-33 in East Lansing in 2021. Last season’s matchup saw both teams undefeated and ranked in the top-10 at the time of the meeting.

The Spartans have had Michigan’s number over the last decade and a half. MSU is 10-4 since the 2008 matchup. Mel Tucker became the first head coach in the rivalry since Nick Saban to beat the Wolverines on the first try in 2020, and just the third all-time in the series. He is the only Spartan head coach to post a 2-0 record over the hated rival from Ann Arbor.