Michigan State's 2016 football schedule

Sept. 17 at Notre Dame. These old rivals haven't played since 2013. The Irish figure to be highly rated, as always, but they might have a quarterback controversy between Malik Zaire and DeShone Kizer. This game comes after a Week 2 bye for MSU and will kick off at 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 24 vs. Wisconsin. The Spartans start their Big Ten schedule with a West crossover game. The Badgers, who return 12 starters, haven't played in East Lansing since 2011.

Oct. 1 at Indiana. This will be an 8 p.m. kickoff on the Big Ten Network. The Hoosiers have 13 starters back, including seven on defense -- but that might not be a good thing.

Oct. 8 vs. BYU. Once again, the Cougars have one of the toughest schedules in the country (ranked No. 7 overall by Phil Steele). They have 15 starters back and will already have played Arizona, Utah, UCLA and West Virginia by the time they hit East Lansing.

Oct. 15 vs. Northwestern. It's homecoming in East Lansing! Kickoff is at 3:30 p.m. The Wildcats, who will be coming off of a bye, return 12 starters from a surprisingly good 2015 team.

Oct. 22 at Maryland. The Spartans hit the road for another night game, with kickoff at 7:30 p.m. The Terps will have 12 starters back and a new coach in former Michigan defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin.

Oct. 29 vs. Michigan. You know all about the Wolverines, right? They're expected to be a preseason top-10 team, but for the third time in four years, Michigan State gets its archrival at home.

Nov. 5 at Illinois. It's the third West Division team on the schedule. New coach Lovie Smith has 11 starters back this season.

Nov. 12 vs. Rutgers. Yet another new coach: former Wisconsin and Ohio State defensive coordinator Chris Ash. The Scarlet Knights have 16 starters back.

Nov. 19 vs. Ohio State. Senior Day in East Lansing should be a doozy. The Buckeyes will be looking for revenge after MSU ruined its 2015 season. Urban Meyer has a mere six starters returning, though one of them is quarterback J.T. Barrett.