Michigan State’s offense has reached a brutal low point, and Saturday’s 31-3 loss to Wisconsin only made the picture uglier.
The Spartans managed just three points, another flat outing from a unit that has spent five weeks looking stuck in the mud. For a team trying to claw its way out of a rebuild, that kind of production doesn’t just slow progress - it stops it cold.
The numbers are as grim as the eye test. Michigan State has scored only nine touchdowns all season, which is nearly half of Michigan’s 15, the next-lowest total in the Big Ten.
The Spartans are the only conference team that has not reached 100 points this season, sitting at 88 heading into Week 5 before failing to get there against Wisconsin. That leaves them 24 points behind Michigan’s 115 and 42 behind Washington’s 133.
The scoring gap inside the league tells the story even more plainly. The Big Ten’s top offenses are averaging around 45 points per game. Michigan State is averaging 18.
That’s what this offense is up against: a shortage of playmakers, a shaky sense of rhythm, and a unit that has rarely looked capable of stringing together enough good snaps to finish drives. The Spartans entered the season with one proven difference-maker in Cam Edwards, and he was lost to injury just 12.5 quarters into the season.
Since then, the burden has fallen on castoffs and younger players trying to drag possessions toward the end zone. That has been a tough ask, and so far it has produced very little.
Offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan has not been able to solve it. Through five games, the play-calling has too often seemed to arrive at exactly the wrong time, whether that means a painfully predictable screen pass or a quarterback change just as the starter starts to settle in and find a rhythm.
Michigan State knew there would be growing pains this season. Rebuilding a program that has spent the past few years in the cellar was never going to be quick work. But this has moved beyond ordinary growing pains.
At this point, the Spartans are staring at a season that is rapidly running out of room. They need four wins in their final seven games to become bowl eligible. If that starts to feel out of reach, the next target becomes simpler: win two Big Ten games.
For now, though, Michigan State looks a long way from any of it.
In Other News...
Michigan State Volleyball Is Getting National Attention For A Big Reason
Michigan State volleyball is back in the national conversation, and Malayah Long is a big reason why. The redshirt sophomore setter was named Big Ten Setter of the Week for the first time after helping power a 2-0 conference weekend, capped by a career-best 65 assists against USC.
The recognition comes at a time when the Spartans are starting to draw wider attention again, with Michigan State checking in at No. 22 in the AVCA Coaches Poll for its first national ranking since 2018. For a program looking to reestablish itself among the Big Tens top groups, Longs rise gives the Spartans another sign that this start may be worth watching closely. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State Is Getting The Kind Of Preseason Respect Fans Crave
The preseason buzz around Michigan State is starting to sound like the kind of respect Spartan fans have been waiting to hear. In a poll of 28 media members conducted by The Columbus Dispatch, Tom Izzos team was picked to finish second in the Big Ten for the 2026-27 college basketball season, a sign that the league expects the Spartans to be right in the mix again after bringing back key pieces and adding to the roster.
Jeremy Fears Jr. was also a major presence in the voting, earning Preseason Player of the Year honors and standing alone as the only unanimous First Team All-Big Ten selection. With Coen Carr back and Anton Bonke arriving from the transfer portal, Michigan State has the kind of returning talent and fresh help that can fuel a serious run, even if the real test will come once the games start and the conference race begins to sort itself out. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Already Looks Like A Real Big Ten Problem For MSU
Michigans backcourt is already looking like one of the early storylines in the Big Ten, and that matters plenty for Michigan State. Elliot Cadeau, a senior point guard and Final Four Most Outstanding Player, and Trey McKenney, a sophomore coming off All-Freshman Team honors, were both picked for the 2026-27 Preseason All-Big Ten Team, giving the Wolverines a pair of recognized pieces before the league even tips off.
For Michigan, the nods add to a program history that now includes 26 players earning preseason All-Big Ten recognition, and it is one of only three conference teams with multiple selections this time around. For the Spartans, it is another reminder that the race at the top of the league is shaping up to be crowded, with Michigan already carrying the kind of preseason credibility that can make head-to-head meetings feel even bigger. [Read more 🡒]