Michigan State vs Notre Dame Prediction: The Irish Shaking Down the Thunder
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From the first meeting in 1897, to the infamous 10-10 tie in 1966 – both teams finished 9-0-1 – to several epic battles in the mid-to-late 2000s, Notre Dame (2-0) and Michigan State (2-0) have some of the best games in the history of college football.
Now they renew the rivalry with the first meeting since 2017 – a 38-18 Irish win – and things have changed a whole lot since then.
Marcus Freeman’s Fighting Irish are dominating. They rumbled over Wisconsin and ripped through Rice, beating the two by a combined score of 93-13. Michigan State started strong under new head coach Pat Fitzgerald, taking down Toledo and Eastern Michigan from the MAC without a problem.
Michigan State vs Notre Dame: Quick Hits
- Michigan State starts the Big Ten season after this against Nebraska, starting a run of three games in four in East Lansing.
- The Fighting Irish go on the road for three of the next four games, starting with Purdue.
- Notre Dame has an all-time lead over Michigan State 49-29, and that one very, very big tie.
How To Watch Michigan State vs Notre Dame
Date: Saturday, September 19, 2026
Game Time: 7:30 PM ET
TV: NBC
Location: Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, IN
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Why Michigan State Will Win
It’s a Pat Fitzgerald-coached team. It’s not going to give anything away.
It’ll try to keep control of the game, muck it up a bit, survive and advance, and any other clichés you want to throw out there. The penalties are kept to a bare minimum, there’s been just one turnover in the first two games, and most importantly, the Spartans always have the ball.
They’re second in the nation behind South Alabama in time of possession, keeping the offense on the field for well over 37 minutes a game.
Why Notre Dame Will Win
The Irish should be able to out-Michigan State, Michigan State.
There’s nothing flashy so far about the Spartans. They run, keep the chains moving, and control everything. Notre Dame might not have the running backs of last year, but when needed, like in the second half against Wisconsin, the offense pounded away.
CJ Carr and the midrange passing game aren’t missing. The athletes on the defensive side are eating up everything, and …
Michigan State vs Notre Dame Prediction, Betting Lines
The weather.
It’s South Bend, Indiana. Wait 15 minutes, and the weather can change from blah to beautiful to the rain that’s supposed to start early on Saturday and turn into full-blown thunderstorms by late afternoon.
Notre Dame is far better, so any blip like this helps the Spartans – slow it down, hope for a few slips, breaks, and the Fighting Irish lines will take over in the second half of a very, very messy game.
Notre Dame 37, Michigan State 14
Latest Consensus Line: Notre Dame -29.5, o/u: 52.5
ATS Confidence (out of 5): 2
Must See Rating (out of 5): 3.5
Consensus line based on BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings, and FanDuel. Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.
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