When Michigan State last visited Ryan Field in Evanston, Ill., the Spartans were led by Connor Cook and Jeremy Langford, and were en route to a 13-1 season capped by a Big Ten conference title.
However sweet those memoires may be, they are no doubt clouded by more recent memories of Northwestern, as the Wildcats defeated the Spartans 54-40 in 2016, a season that marked the Spartans' worst finish in coach Mark Dantonio's 11-year tenure.
"I think last year, there were a lot of different things going on," said Dantonio, who missed bowl eligibility in 2016 for the first time in 10 seasons following a 3-9 record.