Michigan State

2-6

Program prestige

Zeitgeist statureNational Program III#16 all-time– holding
one line from National Program II

Stature and coaches, 1936–2026

The program’s standing over time, with every coach’s tenure beneath it — read down to see who was there for each rise and fall.

Michigan State is National Program today. Never reached Dynasty tier; Blue Blood is its high, most recently in 1961.

1936: National Program1937: National Program1938: National Program1939: National Program1940: National Program1941: National Program1942: National Program1944: National Program1945: National Program1946: National Program1947: National Program1948: National Program1949: Power Program1950: Power Program1951: Power Program1952: Blue Blood1953: Blue Blood1954: Blue Blood1955: Blue Blood1956: Blue Blood1957: Blue Blood1958: Blue Blood1959: Blue Blood1960: Blue Blood1961: Blue Blood1962: Power Program1963: Power Program1964: Power Program1965: Power Program1966: Power Program1967: Power Program1968: Power Program1969: Power Program1970: Power Program1971: Power Program1972: Power Program1973: Power Program1974: Power Program1975: Power Program1976: Power Program1977: Power Program1978: Power Program1979: Power Program1980: Power Program1981: National Program1982: National Program1983: National Program1984: National Program1985: National Program1986: National Program1987: Power Program1988: Power Program1989: Power Program1990: Power Program1991: Power Program1992: Power Program1993: Power Program1994: Power Program1995: National Program1996: National Program1997: National Program1998: Power Program1999: Power Program2000: Power Program2001: Power Program2002: Power Program2003: Power Program2004: National Program2005: Power Program2006: National Program2007: National Program2008: National Program2009: National Program2010: National Program2011: National Program2012: Power Program2013: Power Program2014: Power Program2015: Power Program2016: Power Program2017: Power Program2018: Power Program2019: Power Program2020: Power Program2021: Power Program2022: Power Program2023: National Program2024: National Program2025: National Program2026: National Program19401960198020002020
DynastyBlue BloodPower ProgramNational ProgramRegional Program

Run↔pass identity, by season

No play-by-play coverage before 2004more passmore run200420062008201020122014201620182020202220242026

Every coach, tenure by tenure, on the coaching page →

Program outlook

Program outlook

Michigan State started 2025 at 3-0 and lost its next eight games. Jonathan Smith was fired after two seasons and nine losses in the Big Ten. The school hired Pat Fitzgerald the next day. That is three head coaches in four years for a program that spent a decade making its rival fear November.

Since Jun 14: L 3-31 at Wisconsin; L 37-38 vs Illinois; L 21-24 vs Northwestern; L 10-28 at UCLA. 2-6 this season.

Read the full essay — 3 more paragraphs

The program's self-image was forged in a specific kind of defiance. Duffy Daugherty won back-to-back national championships in 1965 and 1966. Mark Dantonio built the modern era on a simpler premise: Michigan State is at its best when it walks in as the smaller story and walks out with the trophy. The 2015 blocked punt returned for a touchdown as time expired against Michigan is the canonical moment — not a fluky win, but the expression of something the program knew about itself that its rival didn't. Dantonio went 8-of-11 against Michigan over his tenure. That stretch is why the post-Dantonio years sting the way they do.

Jonathan Smith lasted two seasons and finished 9-15. The 2025 collapse was especially clean: three wins to open the year, then eight straight losses before a season-ending win that changed nothing about the math. Michigan State fired Smith and hired Fitzgerald — the former Northwestern coach who rebuilt a smaller program into a consistent Big Ten contender before his tenure ended under difficult circumstances — the next day. Fitzgerald arrives in East Lansing with a coaching reputation built on toughness, culture, and making programs win more than their recruiting rankings suggest they should. The parallel to Dantonio's profile when he was hired is not lost on the fanbase.

The 2026 question for Michigan State is whether Fitzgerald can install enough of his system in a single offseason to arrest the program's slide or whether year one is a foundation season that asks the fanbase for patience it has already given twice. The program measures everything against one Saturday in November. The 2026 version of The Game will tell Fitzgerald — and the fanbase — a lot about what this reset actually is.

On the field

Hard-nosed, defense-and-toughness Big Ten football — the Dantonio template, which Fitzgerald's profile suggests he'll rebuild toward. Fitzgerald's Northwestern teams were disciplined, line-of-scrimmage-physical, and efficient rather than explosive offensively. Michigan State's identity has historically lived on defense: gap-sound, physical, difficult to run on. The 2026 roster's defensive depth is the most pressing rebuild question Fitzgerald faces entering fall camp.

Program outlook · as of Jun 14, 2026

Michigan State has won 2 national titles since 1936

1952196519401960198020002020

1952, 1965

How titles are counted

The final AP poll from 1936 and the Coaches poll from 1950 through 2005, then the winner of the BCS and College Football Playoff title games. A program may claim others, named by selectors we do not count.

  • 1952: AP poll and Coaches poll
  • 1965: Coaches poll

Michigan State has won 56% of its games since 1898 — 66% at home, 44% on the road.

622-460-31 all-time · 122 seasons · 1898–2026

Home 392-182-17
Away 212-260-14
Neutral 18-18
2 g 1890s
6 g 1900s
32% 1910s
33% 1920s
68% 1930s
59% 1940s
76% 1950s
61% 1960s
53% 1970s
49% 1980s
53% 1990s
49% 2000s
70% 2010s
43% 2020s
The era · 2014 through 2026

The CFP era

13 seasons inside the CFP era, no bids yet — the era the program is still trying to break into.

Era record 83-71 13 seasons
Best season 12-2 2015
Top-10 finishes 2 AP polled only
Trajectory · quality-score line · AP rank dotted · CFP bids marked · coach regimes ribboned
Program quality AP rank (inverted) CFP appearance
'14'16'18'20'22'24Now

Swipe left for earlier seasons

Chapters · 13 seasons · tap to open the archive
'14 11-2 '15 12-2 '16 3-9 '17 10-3 '18 7-6 '19 7-6 '20 — '21 11-2 '22 5-7 '23 4-8 '24 5-7 '25 4-8 '26 2-6

Michigan State’s 2014–2026 record is 83-71.

Era win %
.538
Ranked seasons (AP)
8/13
Best AP finish
#3

Pat Fitzgerald

Pat Fitzgerald took over from Jonathan Smith for the 2026 season.

Era Pat Fitzgerald · 2026–presentPrev: Jonathan Smith (2024–2025)OC: Nick SheridanPrev OC: Brian Lindgren (2024–2025)DC: Joe Rossi / Max Bullough (co)Prev DC: Joe Rossi (2024–2025)
The full CFP-era story →The full coaching lineage →
1 year · era

Michigan State and Michigan, meeting by meeting

Michigan leads the series 75-38-5 (since 1898); in the last 10 meetings, Michigan State is 3-7

evenMichigan State aheadMichigan ahead1900192019401960198020002020

2025: Michigan won 31-20. After this game, Michigan led 75-38-5.

Last 25 meetings: ▲ Michigan State won, ▼ Michigan won, by how much

2001: Michigan State won 26-242002: Michigan won 49-32003: Michigan won 27-202004: Michigan won 45-372005: Michigan won 34-312006: Michigan won 31-132007: Michigan won 28-242008: Michigan State won 35-212009: Michigan State won 26-202010: Michigan State won 34-172011: Michigan State won 28-142012: Michigan won 12-102013: Michigan State won 29-62014: Michigan State won 35-112015: Michigan State won 27-232016: Michigan won 32-232017: Michigan State won 14-102018: Michigan won 21-72019: Michigan won 44-102020: Michigan State won 27-242021: Michigan State won 37-332022: Michigan won 29-72023: Michigan won 49-02024: Michigan won 24-172025: Michigan won 31-202023: by 4920012025

Each step is one meeting: up when Michigan State wins, down when Michigan wins, flat for a tie. Counts every game in our records since 1898. Tap the line for any season.

Moments in Michigan State history

On this date, Nov 4, 2017: Michigan State 27, Penn State 24

What this program never forgets

Most weeks vanish. These didn’t.

1952

Biggie Munn’s title

A 9-0 season under Biggie Munn won Michigan State the 1952 national title

The 1966 Game of the Century

Michigan State and Notre Dame tie 10-10 in a landmark integration-era showdown

The 2013 Rose Bowl run

A Big Ten title and Rose Bowl win, the Dantonio peak

The 2015 blocked punt vs Michigan

MSU returns a botched punt for a touchdown as time expires — the rivalry's defining miracle

Miracle

Moment of the year · 2026

Lost 10-27 at Notre Dame

Week 3 of 2026. The single game that defined the season's arc.

Decisive marginvs Top-5 (#3)
2022–2026

Michigan State has sent 11 players to the NFL Draft since 2022 — none in the first round.

Steady. Reliable mid-tier pipeline.

11 picks · 0 in round 1
#41 Ken Walker III Running Back · 2022 · Seattle Seahawks · #7/315 final season
#50 Jayden Reed Wide Receiver · 2023 · Green Bay Packers · #132/488 final season
#191 Jalen Nailor Wide Receiver · 2022 · Minnesota Vikings · #122/468 final season
#17 all-time · 35 first-round picksthe talent factory →

More in this tab

Program factsStadium, mascot, and the vitals that don't change season to season.
Program résumé
1CFP apps
Ladder finishHow far up the ladder this season got.

Season standing · 2026 · 2-6

Michigan State is 2-6 — below .500 in FBS.

Below .500 in FBS play. The rebuild bar.

Sub-FBSBuildingBowlRankedContenderPlayoff
ConferenceWhere this team sits in this season's conference standings.

Big Ten standing · 2026

18th in the Big Ten

Michigan State is 18th of 18 in the Big Ten at 0-5. The path to the title is steep — the focus is on bowl access and rivalry wins.

#ProgramRecord
1UCLA5-0
2Indiana5-1
3Ohio State4-1
4USC4-2
5Illinois3-2
6Iowa3-2
7Minnesota3-2
8Northwestern3-2
9Oregon3-2
10Wisconsin3-2
11Michigan2-3
12Nebraska2-3
13Purdue2-3
14Washington2-3
15Penn State1-4
16Rutgers1-4
17Maryland0-5
18Michigan State0-5
Coaching historyCurrent head coach Pat Fitzgerald, hired 2026

Coaching history

  • Hired Pat Fitzgerald2026
  • Jonathan Smith departs9-15, 2 seasons
  • Hired Jonathan Smith2024
  • Hired Harlon Barnett (interim)2023
  • Mel Tucker departs20-14, 4 seasons
  • Harlon Barnett departs (interim)2-8, 1 season
  • Hired Mel Tucker2020
  • Mark Dantonio departs114-57, 13 seasons
Coordinator lineageOffense and defense under each coordinator.

Michigan State’s offense and defense, by coordinator

FBS-relative efficiency percentile per season (2014–2026), same population as the Coordinator Mirror board. Dashed vertical lines mark a coordinator change.

Offense2014–2026
2014201620182020202220242026
2014–2018 · Jim Bollman (co) / Dave Warner (co)2019 · Brad Salem2020–2023 · Jay Johnson2024–2025 · Brian Lindgren2026 · Nick Sheridan
Defense2014–2026
2014201620182020202220242026
2014 · Pat Narduzzi2015–2017 · Harlon Barnett (co) / Mike Tressel (co)2018–2019 · Mike Tressel2020–2023 · Scottie Hazelton2024–2025 · Joe Rossi2026 · Joe Rossi / Max Bullough (co)
Elite (≥70th pct)AveragePoor (≤30th pct)
Gameday customsThe gameday customs unique to this program.

Rituals

Three gameday rituals — the ones outsiders never quite catch.

Sparty Statue

since 1945

more

The Sparty statue (terra-cotta, 9 feet) on campus is rubbed for luck before every game. Rivals (specifically Michigan students) have attempted to vandalize it; East Lansing PD responds with the seriousness of a national-security incident. Sparty IS the program.

The Old Brass Spittoon (vs Indiana)

since 1950 · trophy game

more

Trophy rivalry that nobody else takes seriously and East Lansing takes very seriously. The Old Brass Spittoon (literal antique spittoon) is the trophy. Origin is genuinely two history teachers in 1950 deciding it should exist.

Paul Bunyan Trophy (vs Michigan)

since 1953 · trophy game

more

4-foot tall wooden Paul Bunyan trophy, created in 1953 by Gov. G. Mennen Williams. Awarded to the winner of the Michigan-Michigan State game. The trophy has been stolen, rescued, and re-presented in ceremonies more elaborate than the trophy deserves. The rivalry is the calendar.

Cultural identityWhat college football loses if this program didn't exist.
Canon appearancesMoments that made college football's permanent record.

Featured in The Canon

#37
Kenneth Walker III
The 100 Best Players of the CFP Era
Browse The Canon →
BowlsLast 5 bowls 3-2, 12-14 since 1984

Recent postseason (1984-2021): 12-14

Most recent: 2021 Peach Bowl — win 31-21. Last 5 postseason: 3-2.

2021 W2019 W2018 L2017 W2015 L
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