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The original was posted on /r/cfb by /u/usffan on 2025-07-01 18:09:05+00:00.
The cumulative link to the preseason rankings can be found here.
Michigan State (high = 25, low = 68) becomes the fourth B1G team in the countdown at #53. In fact, CFN is the only team this high on Sparty, and without their #25 ranking would have landed them below 60. Jonathan Smith led the Spartans to a 5-7 record in his inaugural season in East Lansing, tying for 12th in the conference. Though that was better than they fared in Mel Tucker’s final campaign, it still had to feel like they left some meat on the bone dropping the road game at Boston College and getting hammered in the season finale at home against Rutgers, either of which would have sent them to a bowl. Smith showed he could rebuild a program in the past at Oregon State, and this year would be a good time to show some movement in that direction.
Roster outlook
Michigan State ranks 30th in the country in returning production (which has to feel good after the Mel Tucker fiasco and what that could have meant). That includes the 17th most production on offense, highlighted by QB Aiden Chiles providing some stability under center. Leading receiver Nick Marsh and starting TE Jack Velling are also back, though starting RB Kay’Ron Lynch-Adams is gone to the Carolina Panthers. Smith is going to be relying heavily on that returning production because he brought in the 14th best overall class into the B1G, including the 16th best recruiting class (57th nationally) and the 8th best portal class (28th nationally). That’s putting a lot of faith in former Sacramento State RB Elijah Tau-Tolliver, WRs from Kent State and Middle Tennessee State (Chrishon McCray and Omari Kelly) and 3 new OL from Wake Forest, Oregon State and Montana State…
Schedule and outlook
Last season, the Spartans schedule included 3 playoff teams (Ohio State, Oregon and Indiana), so avoiding the two former schools is certainly an improvement on things. In the OOC, they get Western Michigan and Youngstown State, both of whom they should be easily favored to beat, and host Boston College (ranked just below them). If they can manage to go 3-0 before entering B1G play, they’ll still face an uphill battle to bowl eligibility, with only one game (the season finale hosting Maryland) against a team ranked below them. They will get UCLA in East Lansing for a noon kick-off, so the body clock could play in Sparty’s favor, but that still will require a home win against Penn State or Michigan or a road win @ USC, Nebraska, Indiana, Minnesota or Iowa just to make their 6th win. From here, that seems like a big ask.