Michigan State Football Finalizes 2027 Schedule With FCS Opponent

On Thursday, the final piece of scheduling news for Michigan State football broke. After slating future matchups with Oklahoma State in 2028 and 2029, along with Cincinnati squaring off in 2030 and 2031, the 2027 schedule got finalized. J Batt and the Spartans inked a deal to host Duquesne to kickoff the next campaign in East Lansing.

Unsurprisingly, this is just a home game, as Duquesne’s FCS status, along with the distinction that they have the smallest stadium in Division 1 football (FCS and FBS) at 2,200 people, makes this a “buy game” with no return date to the Pennsylvania college.

What to Know on the New Opponent For Michigan State Football

The Spartans have never squared off against the Duquesne Dukes before. The Dukes made their jump to the FCS in 1993, where they have since won 18 conference championships between the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) and the Northeast Conference (NEC). Their most recent conference title came in 2024, giving them back-to-back NEC Championships for the first time since 2015-2016.

Despite the numerous conference titles, the Dukes have yet to win an FCS title, although they claim a 1941 National Championship at the top level. Duquesne football has a 1-3 record in the FCS Playoffs, beating Towson in the First Round of 2018 for their only victory, before being routed 51-6 by South Dakota State the next round.

They went 7-5 (5-2 NEC) last fall, finishing second in the conference to Central Connecticut. In their two matchups with FBS opponents, the Dukes fell 61-9 to Pitt and 51-7 to Akron.

Unsurprisingly, there are very few ties between Duquesne and Michigan State football. The closest tie between the two that I could find is that safety Jalen Harrell, a four-star from the 2020 class, received an offer from Florida State and future Spartan interim head coach Harlon Barnett during the recruiting cycle.

In fact, as far as other ties go, there does not appear to be a single player from the state of Michigan on their roster.

2027 Scheduling Update

The matchup is slated for September 4, 2027. They will host Central Michigan on Sept. 11 and Notre Dame on Sept. 18 to complete their out-of-conference slate. While dates are to be announced, the Spartans know all 12 opponents for 2027.

In addition to the three out-of-conference schools mentioned above, the Spartans play Indiana, Michigan, Rutgers, and Wisconsin at home in 2027. They will travel to five Big Ten opponents, those being Northwestern, Purdue, Ohio State, Penn State, and Washington.

Spartans Looking to Remain Unbeaten Vs. FCS Opponents

This matchup will be Michigan State football’s first against an FCS opponent since September 13, 2025, where the Spartans beat Youngstown State 41-24. The Spartans are 10-0 all-time against FCS opponents.