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Michigan State vs Northwestern Timeline

Explore every documented meeting, final score and season in the recorded history between Michigan State and Northwestern.

PROGRAM ONEMichigan State41 recorded wins
HEAD TO HEAD41–20WINS · LOSSES
PROGRAM TWONorthwestern20 recorded wins
61Recorded meetings
1905Earliest documented
2026Most recent season
0Tied games
THE RIVALRY THROUGH TIME

Head-to-head timeline

Meetings are listed oldest first. Scores and dates reflect the available historical records.

61 games
  1. 1905
    Michigan State11 — 37Northwestern
    Nov 18, 1905Northwestern won
  2. 1917
    Michigan State6 — 39Northwestern
    Nov 10, 1917Northwestern won
  3. 1924
    Michigan State9 — 13Northwestern
    Oct 25, 1924Northwestern won
  4. 1959
    Michigan State15 — 10Northwestern
    Nov 14, 1959Michigan State won
  5. 1960
    Michigan State21 — 18Northwestern
    Nov 12, 1960Michigan State won
  6. 1961
    Michigan State21 — 13Northwestern
    Nov 18, 1961Michigan State won
  7. 1962
    Michigan State31 — 7Northwestern
    Nov 17, 1962Michigan State won
  8. 1963
    Michigan State15 — 7Northwestern
    Oct 26, 1963Michigan State won
  9. 1964
    Michigan State24 — 6Northwestern
    Oct 24, 1964Michigan State won
  10. 1965
    Michigan State49 — 7Northwestern
    Oct 30, 1965Michigan State won
  11. 1966
    Michigan State22 — 0Northwestern
    Oct 29, 1966Michigan State won
  12. 1967
    Michigan State41 — 27Northwestern
    Nov 25, 1967Michigan State won
  13. 1968
    Michigan State31 — 14Northwestern
    Nov 23, 1968Michigan State won
  14. 1969
    Michigan State39 — 7Northwestern
    Nov 22, 1969Michigan State won
  15. 1970
    Michigan State20 — 23Northwestern
    Nov 21, 1970Northwestern won
  16. 1971
    Michigan State7 — 28Northwestern
    Nov 20, 1971Northwestern won
  17. 1972
    Michigan State24 — 14Northwestern
    Nov 25, 1972Michigan State won
  18. 1973
    Michigan State10 — 14Northwestern
    Sep 15, 1973Northwestern won
  19. 1974
    Michigan State41 — 7Northwestern
    Sep 14, 1974Michigan State won
  20. 1975
    Michigan State47 — 14Northwestern
    Nov 15, 1975Michigan State won
  21. 1976
    Michigan State21 — 42Northwestern
    Nov 13, 1976Northwestern won
  22. 1977
    Michigan State44 — 3Northwestern
    Nov 11, 1977Michigan State won
  23. 1978
    Michigan State52 — 3Northwestern
    Nov 18, 1978Michigan State won
  24. 1979
    Michigan State42 — 7Northwestern
    Nov 3, 1979Michigan State won
  25. 1980
    Michigan State42 — 10Northwestern
    Nov 8, 1980Michigan State won
  26. 1981
    Michigan State61 — 14Northwestern
    Nov 7, 1981Michigan State won
  27. 1982
    Michigan State24 — 28Northwestern
    Nov 6, 1982Northwestern won
  28. 1983
    Michigan State9 — 3Northwestern
    Nov 5, 1983Michigan State won
  29. 1984
    Michigan State27 — 10Northwestern
    Nov 3, 1984Michigan State won
  30. 1985
    Michigan State32 — 0Northwestern
    Nov 16, 1985Michigan State won
  31. 1986
    Michigan State21 — 24Northwestern
    Nov 15, 1986Northwestern won
  32. 1987
    Michigan State38 — 0Northwestern
    Oct 17, 1987Michigan State won
  33. 1988
    Michigan State36 — 3Northwestern
    Oct 15, 1988Michigan State won
  34. 1989
    Michigan State76 — 14Northwestern
    Nov 18, 1989Michigan State won
  35. 1990
    Michigan State29 — 22Northwestern
    Nov 17, 1990Michigan State won
  36. 1991
    Michigan State13 — 16Northwestern
    Nov 2, 1991Northwestern won
  37. 1992
    Michigan State27 — 26Northwestern
    Oct 31, 1992Michigan State won
  38. 1993
    Michigan State31 — 29Northwestern
    Nov 6, 1993Michigan State won
  39. 1994
    Michigan State35 — 17Northwestern
    Nov 5, 1994Michigan State won
  40. 1997
    Michigan State17 — 19Northwestern
    Oct 18, 1997Northwestern won
  41. 1998
    Michigan State29 — 5Northwestern
    Oct 31, 1998Michigan State won
  42. 1999
    Michigan State34 — 0Northwestern
    Nov 13, 1999Michigan State won
  43. 2000
    Michigan State17 — 37Northwestern
    Sep 30, 2000Northwestern won
  44. 2001
    Michigan State26 — 27Northwestern
    Sep 29, 2001Northwestern wonRyan Field
  45. 2002
    Michigan State39 — 24Northwestern
    Sep 28, 2002Michigan State wonSpartan Stadium
  46. 2005
    Michigan State14 — 49Northwestern
    Oct 22, 2005Northwestern wonSpartan Stadium
  47. 2006
    Michigan State41 — 38Northwestern
    Oct 21, 2006Michigan State wonRyan Field
  48. 2007
    Michigan State41 — 48Northwestern
    Oct 6, 2007Northwestern wonSpartan Stadium
  49. 2008
    Michigan State37 — 20Northwestern
    Oct 11, 2008Michigan State wonRyan Field
  50. 2009
    Michigan State24 — 14Northwestern
    Oct 17, 2009Michigan State wonSpartan Stadium
  51. 2010
    Michigan State35 — 27Northwestern
    Oct 23, 2010Michigan State wonRyan Field
  52. 2011
    Michigan State31 — 17Northwestern
    Nov 26, 2011Michigan State wonRyan Field
  53. 2012
    Michigan State20 — 23Northwestern
    Nov 17, 2012Northwestern wonSpartan Stadium
  54. 2013
    Michigan State30 — 6Northwestern
    Nov 23, 2013Michigan State wonRyan Field
  55. 2016
    Michigan State40 — 54Northwestern
    Oct 15, 2016Northwestern wonSpartan Stadium
  56. 2017
    Michigan State31 — 39Northwestern
    Oct 28, 2017Northwestern wonRyan Field
  57. 2018
    Michigan State19 — 29Northwestern
    Oct 6, 2018Northwestern wonSpartan Stadium
  58. 2019
    Michigan State31 — 10Northwestern
    Sep 21, 2019Michigan State wonRyan Field
  59. 2020
    Michigan State29 — 20Northwestern
    Nov 28, 2020Michigan State wonSpartan Stadium
  60. 2021
    Michigan State38 — 21Northwestern
    Sep 4, 2021Michigan State wonRyan Field
  61. 2026
    Michigan State21 — 24Northwestern
    Oct 17, 2026Northwestern wonSpartan Stadium
THE COMPLETE SCOREBOOK

All recorded results

The latest documented meeting appears first.

SeasonMatchupScoreOutcome
2026Michigan State vs Northwestern21–24Northwestern won
2021Michigan State vs Northwestern38–21Michigan State won
2020Michigan State vs Northwestern29–20Michigan State won
2019Michigan State vs Northwestern31–10Michigan State won
2018Michigan State vs Northwestern19–29Northwestern won
2017Michigan State vs Northwestern31–39Northwestern won
2016Michigan State vs Northwestern40–54Northwestern won
2013Michigan State vs Northwestern30–6Michigan State won
2012Michigan State vs Northwestern20–23Northwestern won
2011Michigan State vs Northwestern31–17Michigan State won
2010Michigan State vs Northwestern35–27Michigan State won
2009Michigan State vs Northwestern24–14Michigan State won
2008Michigan State vs Northwestern37–20Michigan State won
2007Michigan State vs Northwestern41–48Northwestern won
2006Michigan State vs Northwestern41–38Michigan State won
2005Michigan State vs Northwestern14–49Northwestern won
2002Michigan State vs Northwestern39–24Michigan State won
2001Michigan State vs Northwestern26–27Northwestern won
2000Michigan State vs Northwestern17–37Northwestern won
1999Michigan State vs Northwestern34–0Michigan State won
1998Michigan State vs Northwestern29–5Michigan State won
1997Michigan State vs Northwestern17–19Northwestern won
1994Michigan State vs Northwestern35–17Michigan State won
1993Michigan State vs Northwestern31–29Michigan State won
1992Michigan State vs Northwestern27–26Michigan State won
1991Michigan State vs Northwestern13–16Northwestern won
1990Michigan State vs Northwestern29–22Michigan State won
1989Michigan State vs Northwestern76–14Michigan State won
1988Michigan State vs Northwestern36–3Michigan State won
1987Michigan State vs Northwestern38–0Michigan State won
1986Michigan State vs Northwestern21–24Northwestern won
1985Michigan State vs Northwestern32–0Michigan State won
1984Michigan State vs Northwestern27–10Michigan State won
1983Michigan State vs Northwestern9–3Michigan State won
1982Michigan State vs Northwestern24–28Northwestern won
1981Michigan State vs Northwestern61–14Michigan State won
1980Michigan State vs Northwestern42–10Michigan State won
1979Michigan State vs Northwestern42–7Michigan State won
1978Michigan State vs Northwestern52–3Michigan State won
1977Michigan State vs Northwestern44–3Michigan State won
1976Michigan State vs Northwestern21–42Northwestern won
1975Michigan State vs Northwestern47–14Michigan State won
1974Michigan State vs Northwestern41–7Michigan State won
1973Michigan State vs Northwestern10–14Northwestern won
1972Michigan State vs Northwestern24–14Michigan State won
1971Michigan State vs Northwestern7–28Northwestern won
1970Michigan State vs Northwestern20–23Northwestern won
1969Michigan State vs Northwestern39–7Michigan State won
1968Michigan State vs Northwestern31–14Michigan State won
1967Michigan State vs Northwestern41–27Michigan State won
1966Michigan State vs Northwestern22–0Michigan State won
1965Michigan State vs Northwestern49–7Michigan State won
1964Michigan State vs Northwestern24–6Michigan State won
1963Michigan State vs Northwestern15–7Michigan State won
1962Michigan State vs Northwestern31–7Michigan State won
1961Michigan State vs Northwestern21–13Michigan State won
1960Michigan State vs Northwestern21–18Michigan State won
1959Michigan State vs Northwestern15–10Michigan State won
1924Michigan State vs Northwestern9–13Northwestern won
1917Michigan State vs Northwestern6–39Northwestern won
1905Michigan State vs Northwestern11–37Northwestern won
OUR DATA STANDARD

Sources and historical coverage

These results are compiled from season-by-season records imported from CollegeFootballData. Only games with both final scores are counted. Older seasons and some lower-division records may be incomplete; the earliest documented year is not necessarily the first meeting ever played.

Page updated November 7, 2026 · Historical records are subject to correction.