Michigan State coach Jonathan Smith talks the media on the first national signing day for college football recruits Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Report: Where is Michigan State Predicted to Finish in Big Ten?

Originally posted on Michigan State Spartans on SI
By Greg Liodice | Last updated Jun 11, 2025 9:20 AM ET

ESPN recently dropped its Big Ten Rankings, predicting the order of how the powerhouse conference will shake out through its FPI metrics.

Needless to say, it wasn't a fan of Michigan State.

The Spartans were ranked 15th with an FPI score of 2.3, signaling that expectations are low for Jonathan Smith’s squad.

We know what happened last season, and it wasn’t pretty. Michigan State opened 3-0, full of optimism, only to lose seven of their final nine games.

Aidan Chiles returns with hopes of playing his way into the 2026 NFL Draft — but he’s not there yet.

He led the Big Ten in interceptions last season, including four games with multiple picks. But as the season wore on, he started to settle in. From Week 5 on, Chiles threw just three interceptions and added eight touchdown passes.

He’ll be working with familiar targets, too. Tight end Jack Velling is back, and so is Nick Marsh, who led the team in receiving as a freshman.

The Spartans made headlines recently with the hiring of J Batt as their new athletic director. In his introductory presser, Batt emphasized how central football is to the health of the entire athletic department.

This season will be a chance to lay the foundation.

One of the key pieces joining that effort is four-star defensive lineman Derrick Simmons. Rated the top defensive tackle in Michigan, Simmons brings much-needed explosiveness to a unit that averaged just 1.5 sacks per game last season. He also played offensive line in high school, but make no mistake, his presence on defense is the real prize.

MSU also picked up former four-star Anelu Lafaele from Wisconsin. Lafaele didn’t play a snap in his freshman year, which might raise an eyebrow, but a new environment could unlock the talent that made him such a sought-after recruit.

The Spartans still have a long way to go, but from the looks of it, the worst has already come and gone.

Will they finish 15th in the Big Ten? That’s hard to say. But the continuity on the roster, plus a few high-upside additions, gives them a real shot at climbing out of the basement.

Stay up to date on all your Michigan State football news, preseason rankings, and recruiting when you follow the official Spartan Nation page on Facebook, Spartan Nation, WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE, and feel free to share your thoughts when you join our community group, Go Green Go White, as well WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.

Be sure to also like and share our content when you follow us on X @MSUSpartansOnSI.

This article first appeared on Michigan State Spartans on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: