Michigan State Spartans stats, records, schedule, and standings

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Michigan State Spartans

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Michigan State University has been playing football since 1896 when it competed in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association. The Spartans spent 14 seasons in the MIAA before becoming an independent for 45 seasons, taking the 1943 campaign off due to World War II.

The Spartans have been a mainstay in the Big Ten since 1950. The Spartans have 14 former coaches and players in the College Football Hall of Fame.

Michigan State Spartans Standings

The Michigan State Spartans are currently in the standings of the NCAAF with a solid record. Their stats show they have been performing well on both sides of the ball, with a strong defense and a potent offense.

The team has been working hard to maintain their position in the top half of the conference, and they are poised to make a run at the title.

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Recent Michigan State Spartans History

The Spartans had a change in head coach prior to the 2020 season, with Mel Tucker taking over the program after being the head coach at Colorado. Tucker’s first season saw the Spartans go just 2-5 and miss playing in a bowl game.

Tucker replaced , who had the Spartans in the national rankings for much of his tenure but saw the program fall off in his last couple of seasons. Dantonio’s teams were 7-6 in his last two seasons before he retired in 2020. Dantonio finished with a 114-57 record over 13 seasons as the Spartans’ head coach.

Key Players in History

Bubba Smith is often considered the greatest player in Michigan State history. The defensive end was a two-time All-American before going on to a long NFL career. He also had a long acting career following his time in football.

Kicker Morten Andersen finished his career as the school’s and Big Ten’s leader in made field goals, earning All-America honors in 1981.

Running back, Lorenzo White was a two-time consensus All-American (1985, 1987), helping to lead the Spartans to the 1987 Rose Bowl. Also, the key to the team’s Big Ten title was offensive tackle Tony Mandarich, who was a consensus All-American in 1988 before becoming the No. 2 pick in the 1989 NFL Draft.

Linebacker Percy Snow was also a part of the strong Spartan teams of the 1980s, winning the Lombardi and Butkus Awards in 1989.

Quarterback Connor Cook was MVP honors in the Big Ten Championship Game in both 2013 and 2015, both Michigan State victories.

Key Championships

Michigan State has six national championships from NCAA-designated major selectors to its credit, all coming between 1951 and 1966. The Spartans were recognized by the NCAA as consensus national champions in 1952, 1965, and 1966.

After a long drought, the Spartans won the Big Ten title in 1978 but weren’t selected to go to the Rose Bowl after finishing as co-champs with Michigan. Michigan State did earn a trip to the bowl game in 1987 when it won the conference title, but it again missed out in 1990, when the co-champion Iowa Hawkeyes were selected.

The Spartans have made three appearances in the Big Ten Championship Game, which began when the conference split into divisions in 2011. Michigan State lost to Wisconsin in the inaugural game but defeated Ohio State in 2013 to advance to the Rose Bowl, where it defeated Stanford.

Michigan State defeated Iowa in the 2015 Big Ten Championship Game and was selected for the College Football Playoff, where it lost to Alabama in the national semifinals.

Conference Outlook

The Spartans joined the Big Ten Conference in 1950, putting the league membership at ten teams. Those ten teams remained the same until the league expanded with the addition of Penn State in 1990.

The league expanded again in 2011, bringing in Nebraska, which brought about a split into two divisions: the Legends and the Leaders. The league also began playing a conference championship game following the 2011 season.

Maryland and Rutgers joined the conference for the 2014 season, which also brought about a switch in division alignment to a more geographic approach. Michigan State was put into the Big Ten East, the division in which it still plays.

Coaching History

The Spartans have had 25 head coaches in their history, including the current head coach, Mel Tucker. The winningest coach in school history is Mark Dantonio, who went 114-57 over his 13 seasons at the helm from 2007 to 2019. He also led the Spartans to 12 bowl games, including the 2013 Rose Bowl and the 2015 Cotton Bowl, as part of the College Football Playoff.

Duffy Daughtery is second on the school’s wins list, going 109-69-5 over 19 seasons from 1954 to 1972. Daugherty led the Spartans to four national championships, two conference titles, and two bowl game victories. He was also the coach when Michigan State played Notre Dame to a 10-10 tie in 1966, a game known as the “Game of the Century” that many feel is one of the greatest games in college football history.

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