Spartan Stadium, East Lansing
Kickoff time makes little difference at Spartan Stadium: scores run 85 to 88
Home of Michigan State · Big Ten · capacity 75,005 · Grass
- 86all Saturdays, Mixed
- 114thof 167 stadiums
86 is Mixed, and most stadiums score higher.
How the rank works
All 167 stadiums with eight seasons of regular-season Saturdays are ranked by their weather score across every kickoff time, highest first; 1st is the most pleasant. A season can swing a score by 2 to 3 points, so allowing for year-to-year noise (about two chances in three) it ranks between 81st and 137th.
Show a month
All Saturdays
- noon: 88, Mixed
- 3:30 pm: 86, Mixed
- 7:30 pm: 85, Mixed
Weather score at each kickoff time.
September
In September at Spartan Stadium, a 7:30 pm Saturday scores 97 and a 3:30 pm Saturday 91.
- noon: 93, Comfortable
- 3:30 pm: 91, Comfortable
- 7:30 pm: 97, Comfortable
Weather score at each kickoff time.
October
In October at Spartan Stadium, a noon Saturday scores 94 and a 7:30 pm Saturday 87.
- noon: 94, Comfortable
- 3:30 pm: 92, Comfortable
- 7:30 pm: 87, Mixed
Weather score at each kickoff time.
November
In November at Spartan Stadium, a noon Saturday scores 80 and a 7:30 pm Saturday 71.
- noon: 80, Mixed
- 3:30 pm: 76, Mixed
- 7:30 pm: 71, Rough
Weather score at each kickoff time.
At kickoff, regular-season Saturdays, 2018 to 2025: 114 at noon, 114 at 3:30 pm, 113 at 7:30 pm.
All Saturdays
Little difference by kickoff time. Noon 88, 3:30 pm 86, 7:30 pm 85.
September
Best kickoff time: 7:30 pm (97). Roughest kickoff time: noon and 3:30 pm (93 and 91).
October
Best kickoff time: noon and 3:30 pm (94 and 92). Roughest kickoff time: 7:30 pm (87).
November
Best kickoff time: noon (80). Roughest kickoff time: 7:30 pm (71).
The roughest kickoff time is the lowest of the day's times. It can still be Mixed or Comfortable.
What goes with it
Share of Saturdays here that feel this way over the first 3 hours and 20 minutes after kickoff.
All Saturdays
Feel under 32°F
September
Feel 85°F or hotter
October
At every kickoff time, fewer than 5 in 100 of October Saturdays here feel 85°F or hotter, and fewer than 5 in 100 feel under 32°F.
November
Feel under 32°F
Weather score: 0 to 100, higher is better. Ideal is 100, Comfortable 90 to 99, Mixed 75 to 89, Rough 50 to 74, Harsh under 50.
Across all Saturdays, Spartan Stadium scores higher than 3 of the other 17 Big Ten stadiums
All Saturdays
- Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (USC): 96, Comfortable
- Husky Stadium (Washington): 94, Comfortable
- Autzen Stadium (Oregon): 92, Comfortable
- SECU Stadium (Maryland): 92, Comfortable
- SHI Stadium (Rutgers): 91, Comfortable
- Beaver Stadium (Penn State): 90, Comfortable
- Rose Bowl (UCLA): 90, Comfortable
- Ohio Stadium (Ohio State): 89, Mixed
- Memorial Stadium (Indiana): 88, Mixed
- Ross-Ade Stadium (Purdue): 87, Mixed
- Ryan Field (Northwestern): 87, Mixed
- Kinnick Stadium (Iowa): 86, Mixed
- Memorial Stadium (Illinois): 86, Mixed
- Michigan Stadium (Michigan): 86, Mixed
- Spartan Stadium (Michigan State): 86, Mixed
- Camp Randall Stadium (Wisconsin): 85, Mixed
- Memorial Stadium (Nebraska): 85, Mixed
- Huntington Bank Stadium (Minnesota): 84, Mixed
Tap a dot to read the stadium.
Spartan Stadium scores 86, higher than 3, lower than 11 and level with 3 of the other 17 Big Ten stadiums. Scores run 84 to 96.
Noon Saturdays
- Husky Stadium (Washington): 97, Comfortable
- Autzen Stadium (Oregon): 94, Comfortable
- Beaver Stadium (Penn State): 93, Comfortable
- Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (USC): 93, Comfortable
- SECU Stadium (Maryland): 93, Comfortable
- SHI Stadium (Rutgers): 92, Comfortable
- Ohio Stadium (Ohio State): 90, Comfortable
- Memorial Stadium (Indiana): 89, Mixed
- Michigan Stadium (Michigan): 89, Mixed
- Ryan Field (Northwestern): 89, Mixed
- Camp Randall Stadium (Wisconsin): 88, Mixed
- Ross-Ade Stadium (Purdue): 88, Mixed
- Spartan Stadium (Michigan State): 88, Mixed
- Kinnick Stadium (Iowa): 87, Mixed
- Memorial Stadium (Illinois): 87, Mixed
- Huntington Bank Stadium (Minnesota): 86, Mixed
- Memorial Stadium (Nebraska): 86, Mixed
- Rose Bowl (UCLA): 84, Mixed
Tap a dot to read the stadium.
Spartan Stadium scores 88, higher than 5, lower than 10 and level with 2 of the other 17 Big Ten stadiums. Scores run 84 to 97.
3:30 pm Saturdays
- Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (USC): 97, Comfortable
- Husky Stadium (Washington): 94, Comfortable
- SECU Stadium (Maryland): 91, Comfortable
- Autzen Stadium (Oregon): 90, Comfortable
- Beaver Stadium (Penn State): 90, Comfortable
- SHI Stadium (Rutgers): 90, Comfortable
- Rose Bowl (UCLA): 89, Mixed
- Ohio Stadium (Ohio State): 87, Mixed
- Ryan Field (Northwestern): 87, Mixed
- Memorial Stadium (Indiana): 86, Mixed
- Michigan Stadium (Michigan): 86, Mixed
- Ross-Ade Stadium (Purdue): 86, Mixed
- Spartan Stadium (Michigan State): 86, Mixed
- Camp Randall Stadium (Wisconsin): 85, Mixed
- Kinnick Stadium (Iowa): 84, Mixed
- Memorial Stadium (Illinois): 84, Mixed
- Memorial Stadium (Nebraska): 83, Mixed
- Huntington Bank Stadium (Minnesota): 82, Mixed
Tap a dot to read the stadium.
Spartan Stadium scores 86, higher than 5, lower than 9 and level with 3 of the other 17 Big Ten stadiums. Scores run 82 to 97.
7:30 pm Saturdays
- Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (USC): 100, Ideal
- Rose Bowl (UCLA): 98, Comfortable
- SECU Stadium (Maryland): 93, Comfortable
- Husky Stadium (Washington): 92, Comfortable
- Autzen Stadium (Oregon): 91, Comfortable
- Memorial Stadium (Indiana): 90, Comfortable
- Ohio Stadium (Ohio State): 90, Comfortable
- SHI Stadium (Rutgers): 89, Mixed
- Beaver Stadium (Penn State): 88, Mixed
- Ross-Ade Stadium (Purdue): 88, Mixed
- Ryan Field (Northwestern): 87, Mixed
- Kinnick Stadium (Iowa): 86, Mixed
- Memorial Stadium (Illinois): 86, Mixed
- Memorial Stadium (Nebraska): 86, Mixed
- Spartan Stadium (Michigan State): 85, Mixed
- Camp Randall Stadium (Wisconsin): 84, Mixed
- Michigan Stadium (Michigan): 84, Mixed
- Huntington Bank Stadium (Minnesota): 83, Mixed
Tap a dot to read the stadium.
Spartan Stadium scores 85, higher than 3, lower than 14 of the other 17 Big Ten stadiums. Scores run 83 to 100.
One dot per stadium: 18 Big Ten stadiums. Every Big Ten stadium by month.
More about Spartan Stadium
Opened in 1923 beside the Red Cedar; the 10-10 tie with Notre Dame in 1966 was played here.
- The roughest game played hereIndiana at Michigan State, Nov. 19, 2022: feels like 10°F, weather score 38 (Harsh). Cold took off the most points.
- Kickoff timesHow games here landed among each Saturday’s kickoff times.
- NetworksHow kickoff times and TV networks line up.
- Rivalry weatherMichigan vs Michigan State (Paul Bunyan Trophy): the two home stadiums side by side.
The table behind this page
| Season | Noon | 3:30 pm | 7:30 pm |
|---|---|---|---|
| All Saturdays | 88 | 86 | 85 |
| September | 93 | 91 | 97 |
| October | 94 | 92 | 87 |
| November | 80 | 76 | 71 |
| Saturdays counted | 114 | 114 | 113 |
How this is measured
The score covers the first 3 hours and 20 minutes after kickoff, averaged over every regular-season Saturday from late August to early December, 2018 to 2025, using the nearest airport’s readings, not the stands. Shade, delays and smoke are not in it. Scores within about 2 points are effectively tied. It describes what these Saturdays were like. It is not a forecast and it says nothing about home advantage.
Weather observations: National Weather Service, through the Iowa Environmental Mesonet at Iowa State University. Weather score version 2.2.