In the College Football Playoff's inaugural season, the Michigan State Spartans' (7) matchup with the Oregon Ducks (3) is highly important for both teams even though it is only week two.

After falling short of the title game last year, Oregon has returned its Heisman Trophy candidate quarterback and now appear set to claim one of the four playoff slots. Michigan State may be just outside the top five as of now, but beating Oregon could change that come Monday.

CLICK HERE to listen to the game live online via TuneIn. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET in Eugene, Ore.

"This is an opportunity early in the season to see where we're at as a program," Spartans head football coach Mark Dantonio told reporters, according to ESPN. "Win or lose, we still have a lot of football games ahead of us, and we have to understand that that's every bit as important as this one single game."

Under Dantonio, Michigan State won the Big Ten and Rose Bowl titles for the first time since the 1987 season. Even without the unfortunate shoulder injury to Ohio State's Braxton Miller, the Spartans were favored to contend once again for the conference title.

Marcus Mariota could have gone pro after last season, but the Heisman runner up decided to come back to Oregon for games like this one. While Oregon may have one of the best offenses in the nation, one Mariota has clearly mastered, Michigan State has one of the best defenses in the nation.

"We are very excited. It poses a good challenge for us. It poses a good challenge for the entire team," Mariota told reporters ahead of the game Saturday. "They're coming in as one of the best defenses in the country and any offense would love to face that challenge. It helps you see where you stack up."