The Michigan State Spartans return to Spartan Stadium to open Big Ten play as the Minnesota Golden Gophers visit East Lansing for the first time since 2013. The teams were originally scheduled to play one another in Spartan Stadium in 2020 before the shortened season cancelled the matchup. As a result, the last meeting came in 2017 in Minneapolis.
Michigan State and Minnesota are set to clash for the 48th meeting all-time, but just the second time since the dissolution of the Legends and Leaders divisions. It was supposed to mark the start of a six-year series like the Spartans just wrapped up in the 2021 season against Northwestern.