Michigan State Left Out of AP Top 25 Poll

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The Michigan State Spartans are coming off a 1-8 season in the Big Ten, a new head coaching hire and an offseason that saw record numbers transfer out of and into East Lansing.

Due to the Spartans' lack of winning since Mark Dantonio left the program, Michigan State is yet again held out of the nation's first Top 25 poll of the year.

Is it a surprise to anyone? No. But it is still noteworthy, as it seems the AP can't see the Spartans as one of the top 25 teams entering the 2026 college football season.

So, the Spartans are left out again. Four of their 12 opponents did make the preseason poll.

Michigan State will face off against four Big Ten teams, all of whom were included in the AP's preseason Top 25 poll.

Before we get to the teams the Spartans will be playing, the five Big Ten teams that made the Top 25 that Michigan State will not be playing are worth noting.

The nation's No. 1 team is Ohio State, whom the Spartans will not face this year. The No. 6 team in the nation, the defending champion Indiana Hoosiers, also won't be on the schedule. No. 15 USC beat Michigan State last year, but the two teams will not be playing each other this season. The No. 18 Penn State Nittany Lions and No. 22 Iowa Hawkeyes round out the group.

There's a lot of talent in those five teams, and for MSU not to have to face any of them seems like a hidden blessing for a confidence-boosting turnaround season.

However, there are still four teams listed in the Top 25 that the Spartans will have to face off against, including three Big Ten teams and one independent.

The Spartans Face Two of the Top Five Ranked Teams

The No. 2 Oregon Ducks will be coming to East Lansing late in the season to play a rough and tough cold-weather matchup. The Ducks are legitimate national championship contenders and will be one of the toughest matchups for MSU.

The No. 4-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish will be the Spartans' third game of the season and the first big matchup for Michigan State. This game will be played at South Bend and is the lowest win probability for the Spartans of any game, including the game against Oregon.

Then, the other two teams MSU will play are listed right in a row at No. 16 and No. 17.

No. 16 Michigan and Michigan State will face off in early November in Ann Arbor, as both teams have brand-new head coaches entering their first matchup against each other.

Then, No. 17 Washington will also travel to East Lansing late in the season, and the Spartans will have to take advantage of the cold and travel for Washington if they want to win the game.

Ultimately, the Spartans didn't land in the Top 25, which is a no-brainer, but many Big Ten teams did. Michigan State will look to force its way into the rankings by the end of the season.

The Full AP Top 25

  1. Ohio State
  2. Oregon
  3. Georgia
  4. Notre Dame
  5. Texas
  6. Indiana
  7. Miami
  8. Texas A&M
  9. Ole Miss
  10. Oklahoma
  11. LSU
  12. Texas Tech
  13. Alabama
  14. BYU
  15. USC
  16. Michigan
  17. Washington
  18. Penn State
  19. SMU
  20. Tennessee
  21. Utah
  22. Iowa
  23. Houston
  24. Louisville
  25. Missouri

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