Michigan vs Michigan State football start time announced for 2026 game

The Michigan football vs. Michigan State football start time has been announced in the 2026 game for the Paul Bunyan Trophy.The Wolverines (5-3, 2-3 Big Ten) will meet the Spartans (2-6, 0-4 Big Ten) on Saturday, Nov. 7 with kickoff time at 7:30 p.m. on Peacock, NBC's streaming service, according to an announcement Saturday, Oct. 31.The rivalry has been played at night in each of the past four seasons, with the Wolverines winning all four and three by double digits. A fifth straight victory would be Michigan's longest streak in the rivalry since winning six consecutive from 2002-07.The teams haven't played at noon since the 2021 season.Both coaches will be experiencing the rivalry for the first time, but neither U-M coach Kyle Whittingham nor MSU coach Pat Fitzgerald are off to the start they hoped for. The Wolverines started 0-2 in Big Ten play for the second time in 70 seasons, while the Spartans will likely need to win out to avoid missing a bowl game for a fifth consecutive season.Both squads will also feature QBs getting their first starting exposure in the rivalry, too. MSU's Alessio Milivojevic entered late in last year's 31-20 Michigan victory, going 5-for-6 passes for 60 yards and a touchdown. This season, he has completed 65.4% of his passes with seven touchdowns and three interceptions, however he missed MSU's 28-10 loss to UCLA on Oct. 24, with an undisclosed injury.Tommy Carr, a true freshman from Saline, took over for sophomore Bryce Underwood, who started for the Wolverines vs. MSU last season. In his first start in Week 8, Carr completed 20 of 32 passes for 167 yards but had two turnovers in a 13-6 overtime loss to Indiana. He was the biggest reason Michigan avoided a major upset at Rutgers on Saturday, completing 22 of 27 passes for 266 yards and a touchdown, and running for two scores, including the winning 9-yarder in the fourth quarter.Make "Hail Yes!" your go-to Wolverines podcast, available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple or Spotify) or watch live/on demand on YouTube.Make "Spartan Speak" your go-to Spartans podcast, available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify).Tony Garcia is the Michigan beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan vs Michigan State football start time announced for 2026 game