Spartans to play home-and-home with Oregon
Published 8:45 pm Wednesday, March 21, 2012
EAST LANSING — Michigan State Athletics Director Mark Hollis announced Tuesday that the Spartans have agreed in principle to a home-and-home football series with Oregon.
The Spartans will kick off the two-game series with Oregon Sept. 13, 2014, in the 54,000-seat Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore. The Ducks will make the return trip to East Lansing Sept. 12, 2015.
Oregon replaces West Virginia on Michigan State’s 2014 and 2015 schedules. West Virginia opted out of a two-year contract to create more flexibility in its scheduling, as the Mountaineers transition from the Big East to the Big 12.
“We look forward to adding Oregon to our future football schedule,” Hollis said. “The series provides MSU alums on the West Coast with an opportunity to see the Spartans compete against one of the nation’s outstanding football programs. The relationship between the Big Ten and Pac-12 is built on common values and the Rose Bowl. We also look forward to bringing the Ducks back to Spartan Stadium, as we continue to compete for championships and national exposure.”
The MSU-Oregon all-time series is tied 2-2, as the home team has won the four previous meetings. The two teams last met under the lights in the 1999 season opener, and Michigan State rallied from a 17-7 third-quarter deficit to post a 27-20 victory over the Ducks in Spartan Stadium.
The Spartans took the lead for good at 24-17 on Amp Campbell’s 85-yard fumble return for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter.
Michigan State has compiled a 33-20-1 record (.620) against current members of the Pac-12 Conference (3-0 vs. Arizona, 1-1 vs. Arizona State, 2-2 vs. California, 3-0 vs. Colorado, 2-2 vs. Oregon, 6-2-1 vs. Oregon State, 3-2 vs. Stanford, 3-3 vs. UCLA, 4-4 vs. USC, 1-2 vs. Washington and 5-2 vs. Washington State).
”We’ve definitely been aggressive in our approach to non-conference scheduling, as we continue to bring the top programs in college football to our state,” Hollis said.
“So with teams like Boise State, Oregon, Alabama, Miami and Notre Dame on our future schedules, our fans can look forward to a lot of special game days in Spartan Stadium.”