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Could Michigan State Spartans make the CFP this season?

By Austin Lloyd

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - DECEMBER 30: Jayden Reed #1 of the Michigan State Spartans runs past Phil Campbell III #24 of the Pittsburgh Panthers during the fourth quarter during the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 30, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Adam Hagy/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - DECEMBER 30: Jayden Reed #1 of the Michigan State Spartans runs past Phil Campbell III #24 of the Pittsburgh Panthers during the fourth quarter during the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 30, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Adam Hagy/Getty Images) /
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The Michigan State Spartans football program is in promising shape today, and it could maybe even see a playoff appearance in the near future.

The world of college football is one of very little fault, as only a near-perfect four teams can even be given a chance at the national title each year.

Because of such a terrible postseason design, there are only so many realistic options to consistently choose from when projecting who all will make the bracket. Said realistic options include Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, and now Georgia.

However, a dark horse could potentially be on the horizon for the 2022-23 season, and that is Michigan State.

Why Michigan State football could be a playoff team

The Michigan State Spartans are coming off of an 11-2 run that was capped off by a thrilling win over Pittsburgh in the Peach Bowl. Leading up to that moment, they had also downed the Michigan Wolverines (an eventual playoff team).

Combining such an outstanding performance with a relatively easy 2022 slate should make Michigan State football a lock for the top 10 this season, but there is just one thing that could keep them from the top four: Ohio State.

Sure, the Wolverines will be a serious obstacle, but MSU has nonetheless shown an ability to compete with—and even beat—them. The same cannot be said about the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Of the two losses that the Spartans suffered last year, the one dealt by OSU served as the much harsher half, with the Buckeyes winning by an astonishing score of 56-7. In other words, a team that didn’t even end up in the playoff bracket downed a top-10 opponent by 49 points.

For reference, 49 points was the same point differential between Alabama and Southern Mississippi back in September (with the former making the national championship game while the latter went 3-9 on the year). That is complete and utter obliteration.

While Michigan State football’s 11-point loss to Purdue was also a tough one to swallow, the final score of 40-29 at least indicated some level of competitiveness—not to mention that the Spartans remained visually superior to the Boilermakers throughout the rest of the season.

It also wasn’t a divisional loss, which means that if it turned out to be the only Big Ten defeat that the Spartans endured, they would still be set to win their division.

The same cannot necessarily be said following a loss to OSU, though. Luckily, such a dilemma shouldn’t even arise anytime soon, as MSU is not even set to face Purdue this Fall.

In short, the three biggest roadblocks for the Michigan State Spartans as of last season are Michigan, Purdue, and Ohio State. However, they can clearly beat Michigan and do not have to face Purdue. That just leaves the Buckeyes.

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Can an MSU squad make the CFP with only one loss to Ohio State? Of course, but it leaves virtually no room for further error (especially if said loss is anywhere near as bad as last year’s). If the team somehow manages to down the Buckeyes as well, though, then Sparty could quite possibly be a shoo-in for the bracket this season.

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