Mark Dantonio went 114-57 in 13 seasons at Michigan State, including a triumph in the 2014 Rose Bowl. Kirthmon F. Dozier / USA TODAY NETWORK

Which Spartans Football Team Was Best in Past 25 Years?

Originally posted on Michigan State Spartans on SI
By Tom Cavanaugh | Last updated Jun 7, 2025 2:04 PM ET

The Michigan State Spartans have had some legendary teams over the past 25 years, but who is considered to be the best of them all? The 2010s were the best days of Spartan football since the turn of the century, and there are multiple candidates to consider.

College Football Hall of Fame head coach Mark Dantonio led some of the best Spartan teams in history. Many would consider the 2015 season that included a Big Ten championship and a College Football Playoff appearance, but even still, that was not the best team that the Spartans have had.

The 2013 Michigan State team was the very best in the past 25 years and cemented the Spartans as a powerhouse program in the country. Repping a 13-1 record with a Big Ten championship victory over No. 2 Ohio State, along with winning the 100th Rose Bowl, defeating the Stanford Cardinal.

The season started with senior quarterback Andrew Maxwell, who ended up losing the job to sophomore star Connor Cook after just two games. The only loss the Spartans logged that year was in Week 4 against No. 22 Notre Dame, 17-13. They would win their final 10 games of the year.

Cook threw for 2,755 yards with a 59% completion, with 22 touchdowns and six interceptions. He was the season-changing player that pushed the Spartans to their most prolific season in the past quarter century. He would go on to be drafted with the 100th pick in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft.

The Spartans went 8-0 against Big Ten teams that season, earning two ranked wins in conference, also defeating No. 21 Michigan in Week 10. They cleaned up the conference before their win over the Buckeyes in Indianapolis for the Big Ten Championship.

The Spartans capped off their historic season by defeating Stanford in Los Angeles in the Rose Bowl. As a substitute linebacker senior Kyler Elsworth made the game-saving tackle on fourth down with the Spartans leading, 24-20, with just under two minutes to play.

Dantonio led the Spartans to a statement season that defined them as one of the more coveted programs in the country. The Spartans never again reached a 13-win season but gathered four double-digit win seasons since that point.

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