It's finally judgment week for the Nebraska football team.
The undefeated Cornhuskers steamrolled their 2026 non-conference slate, dispatching a pair of MAC opponents in Ohio and Bowling Green before toppling FCS contender North Dakota last week at Memorial Stadium. Now, the real test begins for a Nebraska team that head coach Matt Rhulethinks may be his best out of his first four squads in Lincoln.
Offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsenappears to have unlocked the offense with quarterback Anthony Colandrea running the show. The Huskers rank near the top of the country in advanced offensive stats, also due in part to freshman sensation Jamal Rule.The North Carolina native has gashed teams for 329 yards and five touchdown through three games - including 119 yards and two scores against the Fight Hawks on Saturday.
The defense may have experienced a slow first half against Ohio (13 points) under newly hired defensive coordinator Rob Aurich, but they've improved since with just 22 points allowed in the last eight quarters. Riley Van Poppelis starting to form into the impact defensive lineman NU has missed since the departure of Ty Robinson with a pair of sacks and three tackles for loss in three contests.
Michigan State
and new head coach Pat Fitzgeraldwill present a stiffer challenge for the Huskers, who need to take care of opponents like the Spartans in order to reach their goals for the 2026 campaign.
Here's all you need to know for Saturday's showdown in East Lansing.
Matchup:Nebraska (3-0, 0-0 B1G) at Michigan State (2-1, 0-0 B1G)
When:Saturday, Sept. 26
Where:Spartan Stadium, East Lansing, Mich.
Time:4 p.m. CT
Watch:B1G Network
TV Broadcasters:Jeff Levering (PxP), Jake Butt (Analyst), Brooke Fletcher (Sideline)
Radio Broadcasters:Kyle Crooks (PxP), Jay Moore (Analysis), Jessica Coody (Sideline)
Michigan State head coach Pat Fitzgerald is back in college football for the first time since the 2022 season. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Pat Fitzgerald | 1st Season at Michigan State; 18th as Head Coach
2-1 (.667) at Michigan State; 112-102 (.523) as Head Coach
10x Bowl Games, 2x B1G West Division titles
1x Hayes-Schembechler Coach OTY (2018), Bobby Dodd Coach OTY (2020)
Previous Head Coach at Northwestern
Did not qualify for the postseason.
Record:4-8 (1-8 B1G, T-16th)
Conference Awards:Eddleman-Fields Punter OTY
All-B1G:1x First Team, 1x Third Team, 5x Honorable Mentions
Nebraska leads 10-4
Last meeting: Oct. 4, 2025; 38-27 NU
Michigan State quarterback Alessio Milivojevic started the final four games of 2025 before entering 2026 as the Spartans' starter. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Alessio Milivojevic | QB | Soph | Took over for the struggling Aidan Chiles in the last four games of 2025 to earn his spot as the starting signal caller for the Spartans in 2026. Offensive struggles has led him to only pass for 540 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions.
Jordan Hall | LB | Sr. | Earned All-Big Ten honorable mention honors last season after leading MSU with 88 tackles.
Rodney Bullard Jr. | WR | Sr | Former all-conference transfer from Division II Valdosta State that leads all MSU pass catchers with 182 yards and one touchdown on 12 catches.
Jayden Savoury | TE | R-Fr. | Redshirted in 2025 before balling out in his first three contests of 2026 with 129 yards on 11 catches to rank second on the team in both categories.
Chrishon McCray | TE/WR | Sr. | A former two-time All-MAC performer at Kent State, the senior receiver returns after appearing in 11 of 12 games for MSU in 2025.
Conner Moore | OG | Sr. | A former FCS All-American at Montana State, Moore transferred to MSU ahead of the 2025 season where he started all 12 games at right tackle. Moved to guard over the offseason and is among the Big Ten's best run blockers.
Nikai Martinez | S | Sr. | A starter for all 12 games in 2024, Martinez missed most of 2025 due to injury but has returned to the starting 11 for the Spartans' defense in 2026.
Cam Edwards | RB | Sr. | The UConn transfer was the biggest prize of the offseason for MSU after he rushed for over 1,200 yards and 15 touchdowns in his final season with the Huskies. Ran for 152 yards and two scores versus Eastern Michigan before being held to only 38 yards in Week 3 against Notre Dame.
Ben Murawski | OT | Sr. | The 6-foot-7 Murawski graded out as one of the best Group of Five tackles in 2025 at UConn before joining Edwards in transferring to East Lansing.
Trent Fraley | C | Sr. | Transferred from North Dakota State where he appeared in 33 games and 29 consecutive starts at center where he also earned the Rimington Award and FCS First Team All-America honors.
Nick Sharpe | OG | Gr. | In the midst of his sixth season of college football, Sharpe spent his first four seasons at Wake Forest before moving to South Carolina for 2025. He appeared in eight games with five starts before joining the Spartans.
Eli Coenen | DT | Jr. | The 6-foot-6 defensive tackle played in all 13 games at Illinois during the 2025 season before transferring to East Lansing where he's recorded three sacks and three TFLs.
Michael Richard | NB/LB | Sr. | A former Freshman All-American at Louisana Tech, Richard will spend his final college season at Michigan State and has grabbed two TFLs and seven tackles through the team's first three contests.
Tre Bell | CB | Sr. | A playmaker at corner, Bell joines the Spartans after three seasons at Lindenwood (2022-24) and one season at Iowa State (2025). He's made 11 tackles with 2.5 TFLs, two pass breakups and one sack so far in 2026.
Devin Vaught | S | Jr. | A second-team All-CAA performer at Maine in 2025, the North Carolina native has posted 18 tackles through his first three career games with MSU.
Michigan State running back Cam Edwards was a prized transfer from UConn where he ran for over 1,200 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2025. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Aidan Chiles | QB | Transfer | A heralded transfer quarterback that followed former head coach Jonathan Smith from Oregon State, Chiles joined Northwestern and OC Chip Kelly over the offseason.
Makhi Frazier | RB | Transfer | Led the Spartans in rushing during the 2025 season with 520 yards on 116 carries and two touchdowns. He ended up transferring to Ole Miss.
Elijah Tau-Tolliver | RB | Graduated | The former Sacramento State transfer totaled 428 rushing yards and two touchdowns as part of his final season in college.
Nick Marsh | WR | Transfer | Racked up over 1,300 career yards on 100 catches in two seasons before transferring to the defending national champions Indiana .
Omari Kelly | WR | Graduated | Honorable Mention All-Big Ten after being second on MSU with 626 receiving yards on 47 catches.
Jack Velling | TE | Graduated | Third-team All-Big Ten selection in his final college season after hauling in 36 passes for 359 yards and three touchdowns.
Jalen Thompson | DL | Transfer | Lettered three seasons at MSU, including a standout 2025 season that saw him collect 6.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks, which led the Spartans. Joined Arizona State as a transfer over the offseason.
Quindarius Dunnigan | DL | Graduated | Played his sixth and seventh years of college football in East Lansing where he tied for the team high in sacks (2.5) and ranked second in tackles for loss (5.0) across all 12 games in 2025.
Fired, and later cleared, for his role in the Northwestern hazing scandal, Pat Fitzgerald found new life after being hired to lead Michigan State after a disastrous two-year run with Jonathan Smith.
One of the ultimate program builders, Fitzgerald led his alma mater to two Big Ten championship games, 10 bowl games and a 110-101 record across 17 seasons. However, he and the Wildcats had a hard time adjusting to the NIL era with a combined 4-20 record in his final two seasons. After arriving in East Lansing, he fully embraced the new era of college football with a starting lineup littered with transfers.
One that isn't, however, is starting quarterback Alessio Milivojevic. The Illinois native started the final four games of 2025 after taking over for a struggling Aiden Chiles. He threw for over 1,200 yards, 10 touchdowns and three interceptions in those final four games to entrench himself as the starter for 2026. He was decent in the team's first two wins over Toledo and Eastern Michigan, but was eaten up by one of the country's best defenses in Notre Dame when he went 9-for-17 with 123 yards and two picks.
Michigan State's Jordan Hall (5) returned to the Spartans after leading the team in tackles during the 2025 season. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Heralded UConn transfer Cam Edwards joins him in the backfield. His standout 2025 campaign (1,240 rushing yards, 15 TDs) earned himself a nice payday from the Spartans as he's rushed for 288 yards and three scores so far in 2026. Returning receiver Rodney Bullard Jr. has been the go-to pass catcher for Milivojevic as the former Valdosta State transfer has 182 yards and one touchdown on 12 catches. Backup tight end jaJyden Savoury will also be someone to watch after he's recorded 129 yards on 11 receptions through three games. The offensive line was built through the portal with left tackle Ben Murawski (UConn), Trent Fraley (NDSU) and Nick Sharpe (South Carolina) all coming from other schools.
Linebacker Jordan Hall leads a revamped defense after he was All-Big Ten Honorable Mention in 2025. Eli Coenen has been a game wrecker at defensive tackle after transferring from Illinois. The 6-foot-6 junior leads the Spartans with three sacks and three tackles for loss in as many games. Iowa State transfer Tre Bell leads the secondary at corner with 11 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, two pass breakups and one sack. Unfortunately for the Spartans, they'll have starting linebacker Brady Pretzlaff out of Saturday with the redshirt sophomore collecting 17 tackles so far this season.
Collectively, there's no reason why Nebraska shouldn't win this game. The Huskers have the better talent and need to take care of business Saturday. Knowing that difference, expect Fitzgerald and company to try and muck up a low-scoring game. Nebraska needs to stay away from that type of game and score early to get the Spartans out of their comfort zone. If not, MSU could prove to be a hard out. Still, there's a reason why Nebraska is favored, and I think they pull it up Saturday night for ta 1-0 start to conference play.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/nebraska as How to Watch Nebraska Football at Michigan State with Preview, Breakdown, TV Channel .
