Miami football likely to have Michigan State game rescheduled to 2022

The decision by the Big 10 to go to a conference only schedule in 2020 eliminated the Miami football team at Michigan State. Expect the Hurricanes and Spartans to reschedule that game for 2022.

Michigan State is scheduled to play at Hard Rock Stadium in 2021 as part of a home and home agreement that the Miami football team was supposed to play in East Lansing in 2020. The decision by the Big 10 to play a conference only schedule in 2020 canceled the game between the Hurricanes and Spartans.

The 2020 game will be made up. The next step will be for the Miami and Michigan State athletic departments to come to a mutual agreement when the 2020 game will be rescheduled. Looking at both programs 2022 seems to be the most likely opportunity for the Spartans and Hurricanes to play.

The Miami football team currently has games on September 10 at Hard Rock Stadium against Southern Miss and September 17 at Texas A&M in 2022. That would create the very difficult task of two non-conference games on the road in the same season. Miami does not have a Power Five non-conference road game in 2021.

The Hurricanes play Alabama in Atlanta to open the 2021 season and host Michigan State. The possibility is that the 2021 game could be moved to East Lansing and Miami host Michigan State in 2021. It seems unlikely that Miami would want to play Alabama in a neutral site game and Michigan State on the road in 2021.

Sacrifices have to be made with sports in 2020 going to shortened schedules if not canceled completely. Michigan State would have to cancel one of their 2022 non-conference games to fit Miami into their schedule. The Spartans are scheduled to play 2022 Western Michigan, Akron and at Boise State in 2021 non-conference.

Western Michigan and Akron are both in the Mid-American Conference. Western Michigan has been successful in recent seasons and being an in-state team it seems more likely for the Spartans to buyout Akron. No information is available on how much the buyout is. The Big 10 in an average season plays nine conference games.

Miami plays eight conference games as a member of the ACC. That gives the Hurricanes more leeway in fitting Michigan State into future schedules. The 2021 and 2024 seasons are the only ones for Miami that have a full non-conference slate of games. Michigan State has openings in 2024 and every year beginning in 2026.

It is highly unlikely that either program would want to wait that long to reschedule Miami visiting East Lansing. With all of the schedules currently shuffling, Miami athletic director Blake James and Michigan State AD Bill Beekman and their staff will work hard for a solution on when to reschedule the Hurricanes and Spartans.