Michigan State head coach Mel Tucker coaches during the first half at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing on October 30, 2021.Neil Blake/MLive.com
LANSING – Kickoff times are set for a third of Michigan State’s 2022 schedule.
The Big Ten on Thursday announced start times for the Spartans’ three nonconference games and their homecoming matchup against Wisconsin, and none begin at noon.
“I glanced at it,” coach Mel Tucker said Thursday, a few hours after they were released. “I think it’s going to be great for our fans. Whatever time we have kickoff, we’re going to be ready to go but I think those times are going to be great for our fans. I’m really looking forward to it.”
Michigan State’s opener on Friday, Sept. 2 against Western Michigan is a 7 p.m. start on ESPN. It’s the first home night opener for Tucker leading the Spartans, who are coming off an 11-2 season, and the 10th time in the last 12 years they started a season on a Friday night.
“That’s going to be great exposure for our program, for our university, for our players,” Tucker said. “That’s why players come to Michigan State, to play on huge stages like that. It’s going to be fun.”
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Michigan State hosts Akron at 4 p.m. on Sept. 10, will kick off at Washington at 7:30 p.m. ET (4:30 p.m. PT) on Sept. 17 and its Oct. 15 homecoming game against Wisconsin will begin at 3:30 p.m. or 4. The trip to face the Huskies in Seattle will be Tucker’s first game on the West Coast leading the program.
“We’ll have a plan for that,” he said. “It’s a lot different going from East to West than West to East. I actually think it’s a little bit better if you go from East to the West Coast. We’ll have to adjust some things but we’ll certainly be ready.”
Changes coming: During a Detroit Economic Club meeting on Monday at the MotorCity Casino, Michigan State athletic director Alan Haller said changes are coming to the Big Ten. That was in response to a question about conference realignment across the NCAA.
Although Haller didn’t provide specifics, his comments came one week after the NCAA cleared the road for conferences to eliminate divisions in football and determine which teams will compete in the championship game. The Pac-12 immediately scrapped divisions, the Mountain West will do so in 2023 and other conferences could follow. But, again, it’s unclear exactly what Haller was referring to.
“There’s really nothing for me to do right now in terms of our operation,” Tucker said. “Obviously there’s going to be some changes down the road. I’m not sure exactly how those things are going to work but my philosophy is whatever it is, we’ll adapt and adjust and we’ll put ourselves in the best position to be successful.”
Facility renovation: Michigan State begins its summer strength and conditioning program on Tuesday and will do so amid ongoing construction. The university’s Board of Trustees in April approved phase one of renovations to the football facilities, which includes relocating the weight room, installation of temporary walls and utilities and selective demolition.
The first phase of the project began last month and is scheduled for “substantial completion” by October 2023 with a price of $11 million. A cost and timeline for the entire project, which is scheduled to include a new locker room, wellness space, south lobby and improved strength and conditioning areas and meeting rooms, has not yet been released.
Mat Ishbia, a former Michigan State basketball player who owns United Wholesale Mortgage, donated $20 million to the project while Greg and Dawn Williams gave $10 million. Ishbia requested the facility be named the Tom Izzo Football Building.
Tucker said all of the equipment from the weight room was moved to the indoor football field but it can still be used for practice. Players are using the locker room at Spartan Stadium.
“We’re going to be impacted for over a year, I believe,” Tucker said. “The coaches’ offices remain intact. It’s not going to be too much of a deal for our guys to be able to adjust because our meeting rooms will be the same and our practice fields – indoor and outdoor – will be the same.”
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Related Michigan State football stories:
Michigan State WR Jaron Glover is ‘a true burner’ motivated to make early impact
Interesting storylines, West Coast trip highlight Michigan State’s 2022 nonconference schedule
Spartan Confidential podcast: How the changing NCAA landscape impacts Michigan State
Mel Tucker on recruiting momentum and NCAA lifting cap on signing limit
Michigan State AD Alan Haller says changes coming to the Big Ten
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