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Report: Michigan State and Cincinnati schedule future home-and-home series

Danby: Daniel Hager05/07/26DanielHagerOn3

Michigan State and Cincinnati have agreed to a home-and-home football series for the 2030 and 2031 seasons. ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported the news on Thursday.

The 2030 game will take place in Cincinnati, while the 2031 game will take place at Michigan State. The programs have met just twice before (1930 and 1946). The series is tied at 1-1.

Michigan State has now scheduled two future home-and-home series against Big 12 opponents on Thursday. It was reported by On3’s Brett McMurphy that the Spartans have also scheduled a home-and-home against Oklahoma State for the 2027 and 2028 seasons.

Michigan State is heading into year one of the Pat Fitzgerald era. Since their stellar 11-2 campaign in 2021, the Spartans are just 18-30 across the past four seasons.

“This is a program with a deep and storied tradition, a passionate fan base, and a commitment to excellence that extends far beyond the football field,” Fitzgerald said during his introductory press conference. “What excited me most about this opportunity was the vision for what Michigan State can be for years to come. We will restore tradition, and I’m eager to earn the trust of our players, alumni and fans while competing at the highest level.”

Michigan State’s Pat Fitzgerald returns to coaching following controversial end at Northwestern

Northwestern settled a wrongful termination lawsuit filed by Fitzgerald in August, paving a path for his return to the college football world. Fitzgerald coached at Northwestern from 2006-2022, where he led the Wildcats to a 110-101 (65-76) record.

The 50-year-old Fitzgerald was fired on July 10, 2023, after 17 seasons as the Wildcats’ head football coach, not long after hazing allegations within the Northwestern program were uncovered. His firing actually came after Fitzgerald had agreed to serve a two-week offseason suspension, at which point the coach hired outside legal counsel.

“I am proud to say that I ran a world-class football program at Northwestern,” he said following the settled lawsuit. “I made every reasonable effort to prevent student misconduct, including any hazing misconduct. I’ll continue to love and have the utmost respect for Northwestern as an institution.

“I love Northwestern’s student athletes, its fans, and the people that I worked with in my 25 plus years at Northwestern. I remain proud of the vast majority of Northwestern student athletes who I had the privilege of coaching—so many of whom have gone on to build incredible lives and careers on and off the football field.”

On3’s Alex Byington contributed to this article.