Another weekend has gone by with Michigan State getting beaten down by a top Big Ten team, this time Penn State, but once again, MSU has not taken too significant of a dip in the ESPN SP+ College Football Rankings. The Spartans are still ranked 29th in the country in those rankings, largely buoyed by their ninth ranked defense.
These rankings, developed by Bill Connelly, are designed to incorporate opponent skill level, which explains why MSU hasn’t fallen much here. As Mark Dantonio said in his press conference, yes, Michigan State hasn’t looked great these last three games, but they have played maybe three of the top ten teams in the country in those contests.
The special teams unit is ranked as the Spartans worst unit, even more so than the offense, and is ranked 114th out of 130 teams. Very disappointing development this season.
While probably not too much of a consolation for disappointed fans, being the 29th ranked team in the SP+ rankings indicates that MSU is still a solid football team. I’ll take some solace in that.
