Michigan State football is heading to the Bay Area to meet up with a familiar foe on New Year's Eve.

The Spartans will face the Oregon Ducks in the Redbox Bowl at 3 p.m. ET on Dec. 31 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. The game will be televised on Fox.

It is the 11th postseason appearance in coach Mark Dantonio's 12 seasons with the Spartans. He is the school's top coach with five bowl victories — all coming in his team's last six appearances — and ranks second all-time with 107 wins, two shy of tying Duffy Daugherty's record of 109.

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MSU and Oregon have played twice recently. The Ducks won the 2014 meeting in Eugene, Oregon, 46-27. The Spartans won the next year in East Lansing, 31-28. The all-time series is 3-3.

"Exciting," Dantonio said on a teleconference Sunday. "We got a little bit of a history with Oregon, having played them in '14 and '15. So we're looking forward to the matchup and looking forward to the bowl experience. ... Oregon's got a national brand, we've got a national brand, so I think that matches up."

MSU — with one of the nation's top defenses and worst offenses — went 7-5 overall and 5-4 in Big Ten play this season, finishing fourth in the East Division. The Spartans are 14th in the Football Bowl Subdivision in total defense, including a nation-leading 81.3 rushing yards allowed per game, but rank 116th in total offense at 343.0 yards.

In its final six games during the regular season, MSU averaged 13.3 points and 291.5 yards, as Brian Lewerke and Rocky Lombardi rotated at quarterback, with Lewerke battling a right shoulder injury.

"I don't think there's any question that toward the end of the season, we didn't play as good as we had maybe at other points during the season, whether that's injuries or whatever the reason," Dantonio said. "As you work through your season and you come out the back end of it, you want to be playing your best football. It's quite simply to that. And that means winning your bowl game."

It will be the second straight postseason trip to California for the Spartans, who defeated Washington State, 42-17, in the Holiday Bowl on Dec. 28, 2017 in San Diego. MSU also played in the Rose Bowl after the 2013 season and drew big crowds on both previous visits.

"We've got Spartan fans all across this country," Dantonio said. "When we played Cal out there in 2008, there were 20,000, 25,000 people there. ... We're excited about the opportunity to go out west and play in front of our West Coast Spartans, and I know we have a large contingent in the San Francisco area as well.

"And it will be exciting for our guys. A lot of our players have never been out there. And from my experience, San Francisco is an amazing town. They have a lot to offer, and a lot of things to see for our football team."

The Ducks are 8-4 overall and 5-4 in the Pac-12 North, finishing fourth in the division under first-year coach Mario Cristobal. The former Alabama assistant was Oregon's co-offensive coordinator last season, taking over when Willie Taggart left for Florida State after one year.

Cristobal was Nick Saban's offensive line coach in 2015, when the Crimson Tide beat MSU 38-0 in the College Football Playoff semifinal. He said he has watched some film of the Spartans already and sees a lot of consistency in what Dantonio's program does.

"They are what we all know of Michigan State and their history," Cristobal said. "Just a very physical and big football team, with some good, explosive players."

Quarterback Justin Herbert has 2,985 passing yards with 28 touchdowns and eight interceptions this season. The 6-foot-6, 233-pound junior is considered the third-best QB prospect for the 2019 NFL draft by CBSSports.com and will likely enter the draft early.

Herbert was knocked out of the Ducks' rivalry win over Oregon State on Nov. 23, but Cristobal told reporters Sunday it was a "deep bruise" to the throwing shoulder and the quarterback is 100 percent healthy and will play against MSU.

"Justin is healthy, and Justin will play in the game," Cristobal said. "In terms of after the game and decisions after that, it is something we will discuss as a later time."

Oregon ranks 32nd in total offense at 445.9 yards per game.

"An outstanding offense, everything that I'm reading about them," Dantonio said.

Dantonio said no decision has been made about who will play quarterback for MSU. The Spartans scored 26 points and two touchdowns in their final three games, the final two started by Lombardi after Lewerke played through pain when he tried to pass the ball.

"I think (Lewerke) has improved," Dantonio said. "I think those are things he has to answer, because I think it's the type of injury where he has to feel comfortable throwing. But I do think it has improved, and I think he throws. It's just a matter of how well he is throwing."

Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrissolari.

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