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Michigan State

Spartans · Big Ten

GIE rank
#114
of 138 FBS
Rating
1414
2026 Week 10
Record
2-6
2026 season
Proj record
3-9
12-game season

Head coach Pat Fitzgerald Year 2 with Michigan State

Year-2 HCs (2015-2024) averaged +0.09 W vs. preseason expectation

Season projection

2026 W10 · 10,000 sims
Expected wins
3.2
1.2 more wins in 4 left
Win range (90%)
2 to 5
Final rank (90%)
#115 (97–127)
Make playoff
0%
Win conference
0%

Path to glory

No remaining game changes Michigan State's playoff odds. Make playoff 0%

Schedule

Full 2026 slate. Tap a row for the matchup breakdown.

Schedule and results
Week Opponent Result or win prob.Result or win probability
Wk 1 Sep 5 vs Toledo Mid-American Win, 30-20 Final
Wk 2 Sep 12 vs Eastern Michigan Mid-American Win, 35-7 Final
Wk 3 Sep 19 at Notre Dame FBS Independents Loss, 10-27 Final
Wk 4 Sep 26 vs Nebraska Big Ten Loss, 13-31 Final
Wk 5 Oct 3 at Wisconsin Big Ten Loss, 3-31 Final
Wk 6 Oct 10 vs Illinois Big Ten Loss, 37-38 Final
Wk 7 Oct 17 vs Northwestern Big Ten Loss, 21-24 Final
Wk 8 Oct 24 at UCLA Big Ten Loss, 10-28 Final
Wk 9 Bye
Wk 10 Nov 7 at Michigan Big Ten Win probability: 11%
Wk 11 Nov 14 vs Washington Big Ten Win probability: 22%
Wk 12 Nov 21 vs Oregon Big Ten Win probability: 10%
Wk 13 Nov 28 at Rutgers Big Ten Win probability: 48%

Latest stories

  • Recap

    Michigan State: 2026 Week 7 recap

    Michigan State sits at 2–3 with a rating of 0.3, anchored at 67th nationally. Last week's 31–3 road loss to Wisconsin crystallized the offensive struggles: a red-zone TD rate of 15% and third-down conversion rate of 37% underscore an…

  • Recap

    Michigan State: 2026 Week 3 recap

    Michigan State sits at 62nd overall with a 1–0 record after dispatching Toledo 30–20 in Week 1, though GIE's rating hasn't budged since the preseason—a sign the model views that win as baseline expectation rather than revelation. The…

  • Recap

    Michigan State: 2025 Week 16 recap

    Michigan State sits at 4–8 after a 38–28 home win over Maryland in Week 14, a result that halted a stretch of difficult competition. The Spartans' current rating of –3.4 places them 82nd nationally, reflecting a roster still searching for…

In the news

More coming. Per-team pages get the full treatment in Phase 3: current rating, season projection histogram, schedule with win probabilities, and live overlays on Pylon stream days. For now, this page exists so stories and news have a permanent home as content rolls in.

If QB1 is out

Aidan Chiles

GIE projects a 1.8 rating drop and a 7.3pp shift in playoff probability if Michigan State loses its QB1 for an extended stretch. (n=4 historical samples; pooled across recent seasons.)

Returning production · 2026

30 score

  • Quarterback 43% (2/4)
  • Offensive line 33% (7/21) players
  • Skill (RB/WR/TE) 22% (18/31)
  • Front 7 (DL/LB) 33% (13/32)
  • Secondary 16% (9/24)
  • Special teams 0% (0/7)

Share of last season's production each unit returns. Higher means more continuity: 70%+ is healthy, 45–70% a normal rebuild, under 45% a major turnover.

Portal additions · 2026

+0.8 rating

30 proven transfers in, carrying the production below from their prior school.

Michigan State incoming transfers
Player From Impact
Cam EdwardsRB From UConn UConn 199
Michael RichardS From Louisiana Tech Louisiana Tech 129
Marvis ParrishRB From Western Kentucky Western Kentucky 109
Dion CrawfordLB From Buffalo Buffalo 107
Tre BellCB From Iowa State Iowa State 101
Kenny Soares Jr.EDGE From NC State NC State 84

Impact scores offensive skill additions (QB/RB/WR/TE) — prior-season production normalized within position (100 ≈ a 90th-percentile producer at that spot) and discounted for non-FBS competition, so a top back counts alongside a top quarterback. Defensive and O-line additions count as transfers but aren't box-score measurable, so they carry no impact score. The rating figure is this class's portal contribution vs. the FBS average, capped at ±2.5.

Situational efficiency · 2025

FBS percentile rank
  • 3rd-down conversion 36.8%
    49th — average
  • Red-zone TD rate 15.0%
    53th — average
  • 4th-down aggression 46.1%
    88th — strong
  • Late & close 5.1 yds/play
    51th — average

Percentile is across all FBS teams with play-by-play data for the season. "Late & close" is yards per play in Q4+ with a one-score margin — a proxy for clutch offensive performance.