History has a funny way of rewriting itself when nobody is looking. If you asked a casual fan about Michigan State versus Indiana a couple of years ago, they’d probably tell you it was a reliable, if somewhat predictable, Big Ten slugfest where East Lansing usually held the upper hand.
That script got burned in 2024.
Then 2025 happened, and the ashes were scattered across the Midwest.
Honestly, the dynamic between these two schools has shifted so violently that if you aren’t paying attention to the specific coaching changes and roster overhauls, you’re basically looking at a map of a country that doesn't exist anymore. We’re talking about a rivalry defined by a literal brass bucket for the spit of tobacco users, yet it has become the barometer for who actually belongs at the top of the "new" Big Ten.
The Old Brass Spittoon is no longer a "given" for the Spartans
For decades, Michigan State fans viewed the Indiana game as a notch on the belt. The numbers backed them up. Before the recent chaos, the Spartans led the all-time football series by a massive margin—we're talking 49 wins to Indiana's 20. But momentum is a terrifying thing once it leaves the building.
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When Curt Cignetti took over in Bloomington, he didn't just bring a new playbook; he brought an arrogance that Indiana football had lacked for, well, forever. His "Google me" energy translated into a 2024 season that saw the Hoosiers dismantle Michigan State 47-10 in East Lansing. That wasn't just a loss for MSU. It was an institutional embarrassment. The Hoosiers trailed 10-0 early, then rattled off 47 unanswered points. Think about that. Nearly three quarters of football where one team simply ceased to exist.
Why the 2024 and 2025 games changed everything
- The 47-10 Rout: In 2024, Indiana’s defense held the Spartans to minus-36 rushing yards. You can’t win a game of Madden with those stats, let alone a Big Ten conference game.
- The 2025 Repeat: Just when Spartan fans thought it was a fluke, 2025 rolled around. Indiana, ranked No. 3 at the time, beat Michigan State 38-13.
- Quarterback Disparity: While Aidan Chiles has shown flashes of brilliance for MSU—including a school-record 20 consecutive completions in that 2025 loss—the consistency of Indiana's portal-heavy roster under Cignetti has been the difference-maker.
The Old Brass Spittoon, which stayed in East Lansing for the better part of the last 70 years, now feels like it has a permanent residence in Bloomington. Jonathan Smith is a great coach, but he inherited a house with no foundation. Cignetti inherited a house and decided to tear it down and build a skyscraper in six months.
Hardwood Realities: It's Fears versus the Portal
On the basketball court, the Michigan State versus Indiana matchup is even more nuanced. This isn't just about Izzo vs. the world anymore. It’s about two programs trying to figure out how to remain "blue bloods" (or blue-blood adjacent) in an era where loyalty is a relic.
The most recent meeting on January 13, 2026, told a story of two very different philosophies. Michigan State won that one 81-60, largely because Jeremy Fears Jr. finally looked like the superstar everyone hoped he’d be before his injury setback a couple of years ago. He dropped a career-high 23 points. It was clinical. It was loud. It reminded everyone that when the Breslin Center is rocking, Indiana still struggles to find the exits.
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The Indiana "New Look" problem
Indiana’s roster under the DeVries era is fascinatingly weird. You’ve got Lamar Wilkerson, a transfer who has basically become the Big Ten’s most dangerous "bucket-getter," alongside Tucker DeVries, the coach’s son who followed him through three different schools.
In that January 2026 loss, Wilkerson had 19, but the rest of the Hoosiers looked lost. This is what most people get wrong about the current state of Indiana basketball: they have elite individual talent, but they haven't quite mastered the "Izzo-style" grit required to win on the road in January.
Michigan State, conversely, is relying on "old school" development. They’re betting on guys like Fears and Jaxon Kohler to grow within the system. Sometimes it looks like genius; other times, like when they lost to Indiana 71-67 in February 2025, it looks like they’re being left behind by teams that just buy a new starting five every April.
What Really Happened with the "Protection" status?
One of the biggest misconceptions about this rivalry is that it’s "safe." When the Big Ten expanded to 18 teams (adding Oregon, UCLA, USC, and Washington), the schedule-makers had to make some brutal choices.
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Michigan State versus Indiana is no longer a protected annual game.
Read that again.
Because of the new Flex Protect XVIII model, these two aren't guaranteed to play every single year in football. They played in 2024 and 2025, but they’ll skip 2026 before meeting again in 2027. This changes the stakes. You can’t just "get 'em next year" if you lose the Spittoon now. You might have to stare at an empty trophy case for 700 days. That adds a layer of desperation to the fanbases that didn't exist when they were just divisional rivals in the Big Ten East.
Actionable Insights for the Next Matchup
If you’re betting on or just dissecting the next time these two meet, ignore the "all-time series" stats. They are lies. The 1950s don't help Jonathan Smith block a 2026 Indiana defensive line.
- Watch the "Success Rate" on 1st Down: In their recent football matchups, Indiana has dominated because they stay "ahead of the chains." MSU has been trapped in 3rd-and-long hell, leading to those staggering sack numbers.
- The "Fears Factor" in Basketball: Jeremy Fears Jr. is the engine. If Indiana doesn't put a physical, length-oriented defender on him from the jump, he will carve them up.
- Portal vs. Prep: Keep an eye on the percentage of minutes played by transfers. Indiana is currently leaning much more heavily on "one-year rentals" than Michigan State. In a high-pressure rivalry game, that lack of shared history sometimes shows up in the final four minutes of a tight game.
The gap is closing. Or maybe it has already closed and Michigan State is the one doing the chasing now. Either way, the "Spittoon" isn't just a quirky trophy anymore—it’s a symbol of who is surviving the new era of college sports.
Keep an eye on the recruiting trails in the Detroit and Indianapolis suburbs. The battle for those four-star kids is where the 2027 and 2028 versions of this game are being won right now. Check the latest injury reports for both squads before the next tip-off, especially regarding backcourt depth, as that’s been the deciding factor in three of the last four meetings.