The result, the player statistics, and the AP poll response.
Saturday, October 17 at 11:00 AM CDT · Spartan Stadium
AP at Kickoff: #25
AP at Kickoff: NR
Captured before kickoff: · CFBD scoreboard.
These are saved pregame prices. The provider does not identify the sportsbook or its price-update time. A dash means unavailable.
Northwestern's 3-point win on October 17 was followed by the October 18 AP poll.
How voters ranked these teams before the game, and what changed in the next poll.
October 11 AP Poll · 70 Complete Ballots
No voter ranked both teams, so there is no head-to-head ordering to compare. Rankings are not game predictions.
Explore the Pregame Poll →October 18 AP Poll
30 of 70 → 64 of 70 voters ranked Northwestern.
0 of 70 → 0 of 70 voters ranked Michigan State.
Voter counts can change between polls. This describes what changed, not why each voter changed their ballot.
Explore the Following Poll →Choose a team and category to explore every available player.
| Player | C/ATT | YDS | TD | INT | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aidan Chiles | 18/27 | 226 | 8.4 | 0 | 0 | 55.0 |
| TeamUnassigned Team Plays | 0/1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Alex Honig | 0/1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | — |
Northwestern · Passing. A dash means unavailable. Dotted terms have explanations on hover, focus or tap.
2026 Season
Results from completed games before kickoff. Points are per game and include all opponents.
5 Completed Games
6 Completed Games
Final team statistics.
| Statistic | ||
|---|---|---|
| Total Yards | 360 | 305 |
| Passing Yards | 226 | 216 |
| Rushing Yards | 134 | 89 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 1 |
| Third Downs | 7-14 | 3-12 |
| Possession | 34:55 | 25:05 |
| Statistic | Northwestern | Michigan State |
|---|---|---|
| Rushing Touchdowns | 2 | 1 |
| Punt Return Yards | 4 | 47 |
| Punt Return Touchdowns | 0 | 0 |
| Punt Returns | 1 | 2 |
| Passing Touchdowns | 0 | 2 |
| Kick Return Yards | 39 | 103 |
| Kick Return Touchdowns | 0 | 0 |
| Kick Returns | 2 | 5 |
| Kicking Points | 10 | 3 |
| Fumbles Recovered | 1 | 0 |
| Total Fumbles | 1 | 1 |
| Tackles for Loss | 3 | 10 |
| Defensive Touchdowns | 0 | 0 |
| Tackles | 29 | 31 |
| Sacks | 1 | 5 |
| Quarterback Hurries | 3 | 2 |
| Passes Deflected | 2 | 4 |
| Possession | 34:55 | 25:05 |
| Interceptions Thrown | 0 | 0 |
| Fumbles Lost | 0 | 1 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 1 |
| Penalties / Yards | 4-20 | 3-15 |
| Yards per Carry | 3.2 | 3.3 |
| Rushing Attempts | 42 | 27 |
| Rushing Yards | 134 | 89 |
| Yards per Pass Attempt | 7.8 | 7.2 |
| Completions / Attempts | 18-29 | 19-30 |
| Passing Yards | 226 | 216 |
| Total Yards | 360 | 305 |
| Fourth Downs | 0-1 | 2-4 |
| Third Downs | 7-14 | 3-12 |
| First Downs | 23 | 15 |
| Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northwestern | 3 | 7 | 3 | 11 | 24 |
| Michigan State | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
Compare this game with a measured season average and the typical range.
2026 FBS vs. FBS games started before October 17 at 12:00 PM EDT. 339 of 339 eligible games have both offenses available. Each team-game counts equally; both offenses need at least 20 included plays.
These comparisons include garbage-time plays and are not opponent-adjusted. A typical range describes the middle half of this sample, not a universal good/bad cutoff.
· Higher means more expected scoring value gained.
Middle 50% Average
678 offensive team-game performances. Higher means more offensive value per play in this comparison.
· How often plays gained enough for their situation.
Middle 50% Average
678 offensive team-game performances. Higher means more offensive consistency in this comparison.
· How much value the successful plays created.
Middle 50% Average
678 offensive team-game performances. Higher means more offensive value on successful plays in this comparison.
| Team | Passing | Rushing | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.192 | 0.062 | -0.147 | 0.448 | 0.346 | 0.120 | |
| 0.072 | -0.035 | -0.228 | 0.190 | -0.095 | 0.389 |
All values are PPA per included play. Season benchmarks above describe whole-game offense, so they are not applied to these smaller splits.
Statistics are checked again after the final for late updates and corrections.
