NBC announced the news regarding MSU's Sept. 16 game on Wednesday, along with details for other Big Ten games the network's carrying this coming season.
You'll need a subscription to NBC's premium streaming service to see MSU vs. Washington on Sept. 16. You'll also need it to see almost 50 Big Ten basketball games this coming season. Luckily, Peacock is running a promotion offering a year's subscription at a steep discount.
Voluntarily giving away a home game to help the conference out of a tough spot with an angry TV partner isn't something a big-time college football program would do. You'll notice Ohio State, Michigan, and Penn State haven't made any such concession. If MSU isn't serious about being a real player, why should anyone be serious about supporting it?
Warren over-promised on behalf of the conference's schools, which has new Big Ten Commission Tony Pettiti scrambling to retain as much of the rights money as possible. The league has offered several concessions to placate its aggrieve TV partners, such as moving MSU vs. Penn State to Black Friday.
The entire country will be subjected during prime time on Nov. 11 to Ohio State chasing MSU out of the horseshoe by halftime, because the biggest game that week, Michigan at Penn State, will be played at noon before fans have even had time to fill the stadium. Why? Because the Big Ten essentially sold its scheduling department to Fox.
The now former MSU quarterback made his commitment and transfer to Auburn official on Friday. The Tigers, like MSU, are coming off a 5-7 season where they struggled mightily in conference play.
Losing starters to the transfer portal isn't a big deal, let alone some sort of death sentence for a football program. If it were, that'd mean programs like Georgia, Alabama, Ohio State, Michigan, and Notre Dame are dead.
Widening the Big House tunnel doesn't hurt. But it also doesn't address the real issues that have made that particular piece of real estate such a hot topic lately.
Mel Tucker came to Michigan State with a reputation for high-level recruiting, and an SEC and NFL pedigree to boot. But given recent decommitments to his 2023 class and a plummeting ranking, is it time to worry?