Michigan State's Aidan Chiles runs for a gain against Purdue during the first quarter on Friday, Nov. 22, 2024, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Spartans' Homecoming Matchup is a Must-Win This Year

Originally posted on Michigan State Spartans on SI
By Tom Cavanaugh | Last updated Jun 9, 2025 4:00 PM ET

The Michigan State Spartans will play their Homecoming contest on Saturday, Oct. 11, at Spartan Stadium, facing the UCLA Bruins. It will be a matchup that Spartans fans have not seen since 1974 and a ruckus environment in East Lansing. It is going to be an absolute must-win game for MSU.

Several factors play into this being an absolute must-win for the Spartans. Certainly, winning your Homecoming game is something significant, remembering back to MSU's impressive 32-20 win over Iowa in the same game last year.

There will be something to be said about the Spartans' ability to beat some of the top teams on the West Coast of the country. Despite UCLA having the same record as Michigan State last season at 5-7, they are expected to be much better in head coach DeShaun Foster's second year.

The Bruins possess sophomore transfer quarterback Nico Iamaleava, one of the top transfer players this past offseason. Being able to show that the Spartans can beat a top player such as that is going to put a feather in their cap for the remainder of the season.

It will also be a turning point in the Spartans' season and their first conference home game of the year. They will be coming off back-to-back road games, flying out to Los Angeles to face USC and then to mid-America to take on Dylan Raiola and the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

It is unlikely the Spartans get out of that two-game road trip with a 2-0 record and the Homecoming battle with the Bruins is going to be a game that decides what type of season they will have. A loss could plummet them back to a 5-7 type of year, or a win would boost them to newer heights.

Being able to play a team that has not been seen since the 70s is something that the Spartans must value and with such a historic university like UCLA, it means more to defeat them. If Michigan State can stop Iamaleava while posting a high point total, they should be able to pull off the upset at home.

The game is set for a noon kickoff.

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This article first appeared on Michigan State Spartans on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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