Spartans Counted Out in Recent Big Ten Rankings

Originally posted on Michigan State Spartans on SI
By Aidan Champion | Last updated Jul 22, 2025 1:33 PM ET

Michigan State football probably won't be getting much recognition until Week 4 of the upcoming season when it should be sitting at 3-0 going into its first road game, its Big Ten opener against USC.

The Spartans have been written off by the national media all offseason, and it's somewhat warranted, considering this program comes off a five-win season and hasn't made a bowl game since 2021.

Every outlet seems to be considering the same factors -- quarterback Aidan Chiles and his talented wide receiver room, and a pretty manageable strength of schedule.

That was the case again when USA Today's Paul Myerberg recently put out his Big Ten power rankings. The Spartans came in at No. 15.

"There are a ton of unknowns, including whether second-year starter Aidan Chiles cracks into his potential after an uneven first season on campus," Myerberg wrote. "But the schedule isn’t too daunting and the Spartans have added another round of impact transfers, so this team could win seven games by playing cleaner football and avoiding another rash of injuries."

It seems a little contradictory. A seven-win season would not put you in the bottom tier of the conference, though Myerberg is essentially saying that's the ceiling for this team, which is setting the bar pretty low.

Though it's rather fair. Anything more than that does not seem likely for this team, but if it can start at least 4-1, there's a strong path to seven wins.

Injuries was the other key component Myerberg identified. The Spartans were unhealthy from the get-go last season, primarily in the secondary. If Michigan State can stay relatively injury-free, there's no excuse to keep it from attaining seven wins. Especially if Chiles, Nick Marsh and Jack Velling take the steps they're expected to on offense.

Myerberg has Penn State, which will be the toughest game on the Spartans' schedule, ranked No. 1. The only teams he has behind the Spartans are Northwestern (No. 16), Maryland (No. 17) and Purdue (No. 18).

Michigan State's bitter rival, Michigan, is ranked No. 4, with Ohio State and Oregon ranked No. 2 and No. 3, respectively.

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