In their 13th and final season under head coach Charlie Bachman, the Spartans compiled a 5–5 record and were outscored by a total of 202 to 181.
[1][2] The 1946 Spartans lost their annual rivalry game with Michigan by a 55 to 7 score.
[5] In mid-December 1946, Michigan State hired Clarence Munn to replace Bachman as head coach.
With attendance at 77,134, the game drew the largest crowd to that date in the history of the Michigan–Michigan State football rivalry.
Michigan State's touchdown came on a pass from Horace Smith to Frank Waters covering 77 yards in the third quarter.