Michigan State is already facing modest expectations heading into 2026, but FOX Sports analyst RJ Young took the skepticism to another level.
Young’s “Ultimate 138” rankings put the Spartans at No. 120 nationally, a slot that leaves them ahead of only Stanford among Power Four programs. If you remove former Power Five members Oregon State and Washington State from the equation, Young has Michigan State as the second-worst team in the Power Four.
That also makes the Spartans the lowest-ranked Big Ten team in his list, even behind Purdue, which has lived near the bottom of these conversations for years.
The ranking feels especially brutal considering what Michigan State is bringing back. The Spartans have a returning starting quarterback, an All-Big Ten caliber running back, an offensive line that should be much better, and a defense guided by two elite defensive minds. That combination does not scream “second-worst team in the Power Four.”
The preseason win total from Vegas is already down at around 3.5 wins, so the bar is low. But even that feels a little too harsh for a roster that has been rebuilt and a program now led by Pat Fitzgerald in his first season in East Lansing.
Michigan State has not been to a bowl game since 2021, and the coaching changes since then have not helped stability. Still, the Spartans have not finished with fewer than four wins in a decade, and the idea that Fitzgerald’s first team would sink to that level immediately is hard to buy.
There’s reason to think the offense will be better after a forgettable 2025 season. The run game, pass game and offensive line all have room to improve after nothing really clicked last year.
The defense also has a chance to take a step forward under Max Bullough and Joe Rossi. The unit still has work to do, but there is a base to build around with Jordan Hall, Charles Brantley, Nikai Martinez, Ben Roberts and Kenny Soares Jr.
Michigan State may not look loaded on paper, but it does have a solid mix of veterans and younger pieces. That’s why a six-win season feels realistic.
And if 5-6 wins somehow puts the Spartans near the bottom of the Power Four, then the rest of the leagues might be in for a very strong year.
In Other News...
Michigan State Camp Standouts Are Forcing Tough Depth Chart Decisions
Michigan States fall camp has already started sorting out a roster full of new faces, and a handful of players are making the staff think harder than expected about how this seasons depth chart should look. Jayden Savoury, Eli Coenen, Anelu Lafaele, Kenny Soares Jr. and Cam Edwards have all drawn attention in camp, each offering something that suggests a bigger role could be coming once the games count.
For a team trying to blend fresh additions with returning pieces, those kinds of early standouts matter because they can change the conversation in a hurry. Some have flashed the kind of progress that builds on what they showed before, while others are making noise just by how quickly theyve adapted, and the real question now is how many of them can turn a strong camp into meaningful snaps when the season opens. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan States New AD Is Challenging How The Spartans Compete
Dan Bartholomae is only a short time into his new role at Michigan State, but he is already signaling that the Spartans competitive future will be shaped as much by business strategy as by what happens on the field or court. In his first public comments as athletic director, Bartholomae laid out a clear priority list centered on NIL spending, revenue sharing and how Michigan State stacks up against the rest of the Big Ten, where the financial arms race has become part of the weekly competition.
He also framed the challenge in broader terms, saying roster development has to be part of the equation if Michigan State wants to climb from the middle of the league toward the top half and, eventually, the top third. Bartholomae pointed to his track record at Western Michigan, where he helped increase donor contributions, and voiced support for Spartan Ventures, the private company tied to Michigan State athletics, as another piece of the push to keep the Spartans moving forward. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State Camp Is Showing Pat Fitzgeralds Old-School Culture Shift
Michigan States first stretch of training camp has come with an old-school wrinkle under Pat Fitzgerald, as the football team spent its opening days living in on-campus dorms in an effort to sharpen chemistry and toughness. For a roster with plenty of players from Michigan, the setup created a more communal feel around camp, with the kind of everyday downtime that can help teammates connect away from the field. Even the small details mattered, like players gathering for games of euchre as part of the bonding process.
There was some initial skepticism about the arrangement, but the early returns have been positive through the first week of camp. Fitzgerald has already pointed to the close living quarters as a helpful step in building the kind of buy-in he wants, and the hope is that the experience carries over once the Spartans get into the more demanding parts of camp. The real test, as always, will be whether that added chemistry shows up when the pads stay on and the season gets closer. [Read more 🡒]