The2001 Michigan State Spartans football team representedMichigan State University as a member of theBig Ten Conference during the2001 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by second-year head coachBobby Williams, the Spartans compiled an overall record of 7–5 with a mark of 3–5 in conference play, tying for eighth place in the Big Ten. Michigan State was invited to theSilicon Valley Football Classic, where the Spartans defeatedFresno State. The team played home games atSpartan Stadium inEast Lansing, Michigan.

The controversial final play of thehome game against Michigan on November 3 led to a change in the official timekeeping policy of the Big Ten Conference. Beginning in 2002, a neutral official appointed by the Big Ten keeps track of the game time on the field.

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 8	1:00 p.m.	Central Michigan*		Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI		W 35–21	73,879	[1]
September 22	2:30 p.m.	at No. 23Notre Dame*		Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)	NBC	W 17–10	80,795
September 29	3:30 p.m.	at No. 16Northwestern	No. 23	Ryan Field Evanston, IL	ABC	L 26–27	40,103
October 13	12:00 p.m.	Iowa		Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI	ESPN2	W 31–28	73,680
October 20	12:00 p.m.	atMinnesota		Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome Minneapolis, MN		L 19–28	47,385
October 27	12:00 p.m.	atWisconsin		Camp Randall Stadium Madison, WI	ESPN Plus	W 42–28	79,108
November 3	3:30 p.m.	No. 6Michigan		Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI (rivalry)	ABC	W26–24	75,262	[2]
November 10	12:00 p.m.	Indiana	No. 22	Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI (rivalry)		L 28–37	73,990
November 17	12:00 p.m.	atPurdue		Ross–Ade Stadium West Lafayette, IN	ESPN2	L 14–24	55,660
November 24	3:30 p.m.	Penn State		Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI (rivalry)	ESPN	L 37–42	72,658
December 1	11:00 a.m.	Missouri*		Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI	ESPN2	W 55–7	72,823	[3]
December 31	3:00 p.m.	vs. No. 20Fresno State*		Spartan Stadium San Jose, CA (Silicon Valley Football Classic)	FSN	W 44–35	30,456
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings fromAP Poll released prior to the game All times are inEastern time

Note: The Missouri game originally scheduled for September 15 was rescheduled to December 1 because of theSeptember 11 attacks.

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