Michigan State was able to stay in the top-30 of ESPN’s SP+ rankings the last few weeks because the teams they were losing to in disappointing fashion (Ohio State, Wisconsin, and Penn State) were at least highly ranked, widely respected football teams. Now, Illinois has come a long way as a football team under Lovie Smith, but the loss MSU suffered at home to them, along with their continued poor play has moved the Spartans down to number 35 in this week’s SP+ College Football Rankings.
The rankings still really respect MSU’s defense, ranking that side of the ball 11th in the country. It should also be noted that MSU is the third highest-rated team with a losing record behind Washington State and TCU.
Michigan State’s offense continues to struggle and is now ranked at 84 out of 130. The special teams unit is way down largely due to Matt Coghlin’s seven missed field goals on the season. They are now currently 108 out of 130.
