Michigan State football may be 2-4 and without a Big Ten win under new head coach Pat Fitzgerald, but they are still going to be playing in the Rose Bowl as they face No.9 UCLA on October 24.
It’s been nearly 13 years since the Spartans have played at the Rose Bowl, the last time was under former head coach Mark Dantonio, and his No.4 MSU football team took down No.5 Stanford 24-20 to win the 100th Rose Bowl game.
The Rose Bowl win is a level of success MSU has been chasing since Dantonio left in 2019, through different coaches, players, and staff but has not been able to replicate.
Fitzgerald is the newest head coach who has ambitions of bringing success back to MSU, but it’s been a rough start for his football team this season. After starting the season 2-0, they dropped their first game to No.4 Notre Dame, which started a five-game losing streak that they extended into conference play.
It hasn’t been all bad for MSU during its losing streak, specifically in their recent games. The Spartans lost in overtime to Illinois after being stopped on what would have been the game-winning two-point conversion, and were in position to take a 3-point lead with less than a minute remaining against No.25 Northwestern, but it was blocked, and they went on to lose the game.
If Spartan fans are looking to stay positive about the season, their team is a couple of plays away from being 4-3. Unfortunately, that’s not the reality, however, Fitzgerald believes their losing streak could be used as an advantage to upset UCLA.
“We’ve got plenty of motivation,” Fitzgerald said. “We’re not winning so there’s the motivation.”
MSU and UCLA football have met just seven times in their university’s history. UCLA lead the series and hasn’t lost to the Spartans in 61 years, winning the past four meetings, including last season when where they spoiled Michigan State’s homecoming game.
However, not all hope is lost for MSU. They have played at the Rose Bowl six times in their program’s history and have only won four games at the historic stadium. This year MSU has a chance not just to beat UCLA, but to get revenge and ruin their homecoming game this year.
The Spartans have a chance to turn their season around at UCLA before they take on in-state rivals University of Michigan after their bye week.
Michigan State Football Plays at Rose Bowl for First Time Since 2014, Takes on No.9 UCLA