Western Michigan vs. Michigan State: Game time, TV schedule, streaming and more

The moment we all have been waiting for over the long offseason has finally arrived! The No. 15/14 Michigan State football team returns to the field to take on Western Michigan in the season opener! On top of being a must watch event, the game will also be a “Stripe The Stadium” event. It will also mark the beginning of the 126th season of MSU football.

The Friday night matchup is the official start of MSU’s 2022 season and the 26th night game in Spartan Stadium history. The Spartans are 18-7 all-time in home night matchups, including a victory in the first ever against USC in 1987.

The Friday night game marks the eighth time in the past 12 years that Michigan State will open the season with a Friday night game in East Lansing. It also marks the 10th time since 2011 the Spartans open the season on a Friday night thanks to road games in 2015 at Western Michigan and in 2021 at Northwestern.

Speaking of the Western Michigan Broncos, it will mark the 17th all-time meeting of the intrastate foes in a series that dates back to 1908. The first meeting was also the lone shutout in the series, a 35-0 Michigan State victory. Overall, MSU leads WMU 14-2 and enters the game riding a 12-game win streak that dates back to 1921.

On the Michigan State side, the Spartans have won 22 of the past 23 season openers. The lone loss in that record was the 2020 season opener against Rutgers. MSU is 85-37-3 all-time in its season openers and 103-22 all-time in home openers.

Finally, it will be a battle between family members as well. Michigan State starting quarterback Payton Thorne will see his father, Western Michigan offensive coordinator Jeff Thorne, on the Broncos’ sideline. The elder Thorne joins Western Michigan this season after he served the past six years as head coach of North Central College (Illinois) where he led the Cardinals to the 2019 Division III national championship and a 2021 national championship appearance.

Western Michigan Broncos (0-0) vs. No. 15/14 Michigan State Spartans (0-0)

Date: Friday, Sept. 2
Kickoff: 7 p.m. EDT
Odds according to DraftKings Sports Book: Michigan State is a 22-point favorite over Western Michigan with the over/under set at 54.5

MEDIA COVERAGE

TV: ESPN2
Web/Mobile: WatchESPN/ESPN app
Play-by-Play: Roy Philpott
Analyst: Andre Ware
Sidelines: Paul Carcaterra

RADIO: Spartan Media Network
Play-by-Play: George Blaha
Analyst: Bill Burke
Sideline: Steve Courtney
Broadcast Host: Will Tieman
Website/Mobile: msuspartans.com/MSU Spartans app/Tune In radio
Flagship Stations: Lansing: WMMQ (94.9 FM)/WJIM (1240 AM); Detroit: WJR (760 AM); Grand Rapids: WBFX (101.3 FM)
Affiliates: 24 affiliates listed at msuspartans.com
Satellite: Ch. 83 (Sirius/XM), Ch. 83 (SiriusXM.com/App)
Pre-game Show: Begins at 6:30 p.m.

Location: East Lansing, Michigan
Stadium: Spartan Stadium (74,866)
Surface: Natural Grass
All-Time Series: MSU leads, 14-2
Series in East Lansing: MSU leads, 13-2
Last Meeting: Michigan State 51, WMU 17 (2019)
Current Series Streak: MSU with 12 (1921-present)

COACHES:
Michigan State Head Coach: Mel Tucker
MSU Record: 13-7 (third year)
Overall Record: 18-14 (fourth year)
Record vs. WMU: 0-0

Western Michigan Head Coach: Tim Lester
WMU Record: 32-25 (sixth year)
Overall Record: 62-48 (12th year)
Record vs. MSU: 0-2

Don’t forget to follow along during the game with The Only Colors on Facebook, Twitter (@TheOnlyColors) and Instagram (@TheOnlyColorsSBN) all game long, and as always here on the website in our game thread.

Odds/lines subject to change. T&Cs apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for details.

This article was updated Thursday night to reflect the fact ESPN moved the Western Michigan-Michigan State game to ESPN2 out of spite about the Big Ten contract to instead air the Serena Williams US Open match on ESPN. Please note the author is being sarcastic about the “spite” aspect of this move by ESPN. Though, last year’s Friday night ESPN matchup did get more than 2.1 million viewers in 2021.