Michigan State Upsets and Scares 1980-2019

Total upset score over 40 years is 5403. Average per year is 135.075

Total Upset Score	Result	Upset Value	Away Bonus	Blowout Bonus
308	On Nov 29, 1997, unranked Michigan State defeated 4th ranked Penn State by 35 points at home.	220	0	88
308	On Nov 13, 2004, unranked Michigan State defeated 4th ranked Wisconsin by 35 points at home.	220	0	88
300	On Oct 13, 1990, unranked Michigan State defeated 1st ranked Michigan by 1 points away.	250	50	0
300	On Nov 7, 1998, unranked Michigan State defeated 1st ranked Ohio State by 4 points away.	250	50	0
264	On Sep 17, 1983, unranked Michigan State defeated 4th ranked Notre Dame by 5 points away.	220	44	0
228	On Oct 7, 2017, unranked Michigan State defeated 7th ranked Michigan by 4 points away.	190	38	0
224	On Sep 12, 1998, unranked Michigan State defeated 10th ranked Notre Dame by 22 points at home.	160	0	64
216	On Oct 13, 2018, unranked Michigan State defeated 8th ranked Penn State by 4 points away.	180	36	0
200	On Nov 3, 2001, unranked Michigan State defeated 6th ranked Michigan by 2 points at home.	200	0	0
192	On Sep 17, 2005, unranked Michigan State defeated 10th ranked Notre Dame by 3 points away.	160	32	0
190	On Nov 4, 1995, unranked Michigan State defeated 7th ranked Michigan by 3 points at home.	190	0	0
170	On Oct 9, 1993, unranked Michigan State defeated 9th ranked Michigan by 10 points at home.	170	0	0
170	On Nov 11, 2000, unranked Michigan State defeated 9th ranked Purdue by 20 points at home.	170	0	0
170	On Nov 4, 2017, 24th ranked Michigan State defeated 7th ranked Penn State by 3 points at home.	170	0	0
156	On Oct 6, 1984, unranked Michigan State defeated 13th ranked Michigan by 12 points away.	130	26	0
140	On Oct 10, 1987, unranked Michigan State defeated 12th ranked Michigan by 6 points at home.	140	0	0
130	On Sep 27, 2003, unranked Michigan State defeated 13th ranked Iowa by 10 points at home.	130	0	0
130	On Oct 2, 2010, 24th ranked Michigan State defeated 11th ranked Wisconsin by 10 points at home.	130	0	0
120	On Oct 17, 1981, unranked Michigan State defeated 14th ranked Wisconsin by 19 points at home.	120	0	0
120	On Oct 15, 2011, 23rd ranked Michigan State defeated 11th ranked Michigan by 14 points at home.	120	0	0
120	On Nov 19, 2016, unranked Michigan State narrowly lost to 2nd ranked Ohio State by 1 points at home.	120	0	0
115	On Sep 22, 1990, 24th ranked Michigan State narrowly lost to 1st ranked Notre Dame by 1 points at home.	115	0	0
114	On Nov 23, 1996, unranked Michigan State narrowly lost to 7th ranked Penn State by 3 points away.	95	19	0
110	On Oct 1, 1994, unranked Michigan State defeated 15th ranked Wisconsin by 19 points at home.	110	0	0
110	On Oct 22, 2011, 15th ranked Michigan State defeated 4th ranked Wisconsin by 6 points at home.	110	0	0
102	On Sep 29, 2007, unranked Michigan State narrowly lost to 9th ranked Wisconsin by 3 points away.	85	17	0
96	On Oct 20, 1990, 24th ranked Michigan State narrowly lost to 8th ranked Illinois by 2 points away.	80	16	0
95	On Oct 24, 2009, unranked Michigan State narrowly lost to 7th ranked Iowa by 2 points at home.	95	0	0
90	On Oct 20, 1984, unranked Michigan State narrowly lost to 8th ranked Ohio State by 3 points at home.	90	0	0
90	On Sep 17, 1994, unranked Michigan State narrowly lost to 8th ranked Notre Dame by 1 points at home.	90	0	0
80	On Oct 14, 1989, 21st ranked Michigan State narrowly lost to 5th ranked Michigan by 3 points at home.	80	0	0
70	On Sep 23, 2006, unranked Michigan State narrowly lost to 12th ranked Notre Dame by 3 points at home.	70	0	0
60	On Sep 25, 1982, unranked Michigan State narrowly lost to 16th ranked Miami (FL) by 3 points away.	50	10	0
60	On Dec 28, 2007, unranked Michigan State narrowly lost to 14th ranked Boston College by 3 points at a neutral site.	60	0	0
55	On Nov 27, 1993, 25th ranked Michigan State narrowly lost to 14th ranked Penn State by 1 points at home.	55	0	0

For this table an upset is a win over an opponent ranked 10 or more slots better. Unranked teams are considered ranked 26th. The upset score is 10 points multiplied by the difference in ranking, thus a 21st ranked team beating a 1st ranked team is a better upset (200 points) than a 21st ranked team beating an 11th ranked team (100 points). Winning away grants a 20% bonus. Winning by 21 points or more is a blowout and grants a 40% bonus. A scare is a tie or a loss within 3 points of a better ranked team. Scares are worth 50% of upsets, and can get an away bonus. Leave a comment if you would like to see another school, other years, or different criteria for determining an upset or scare.