RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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There's been plenty of shade and low projections thrown Michigan State's way this offseason, but RJ Young of FOX Sports took that to a whole new level this past week.
Young, who is known for having some wild opinions in the rankings he's done before, released a batch of preseason rankings for every college football team in the country. And let's just say it's quite comical where he had the Spartans .
Among the 138 teams in college football, Young has the Spartans sitting at No. 120. Yes, that's right. That means Michigan State is the lowest ranked Big Ten team (one post behind Purdue) and behind a number of group of six teams, including Toledo (No. 76) and Eastern Michigan (No. 83) who the Spartans both play this upcoming season.
Here's some of what Young had to say about the Spartans:
"Michigan State, lord have mercy. Please get out of your own way. Listen to coach Tom Izzo. Remember who you stand for, what you stand for and hope like hell that foundation transfers to the football field. And it might... There was a time when the Spartans were the most feared soldiers in the world because to be a citizen was to be a soldier. It's past time Michigan State remembered its profession is a full-time battle against the enemy outside, not the enemy within. All of this needs to take place with new coach Pat Fitzgerald — a man who hasn’t coached a single game since 2023 after he was fired amid a hazing scandal at Northwestern, which was his last and only post as a head coach."
You can see the full rankings from Young in the embedded social media post below:
All 138 FBS Schools. One Ultimate Ranking. Where did your school land on @RJ_Young 's Ultimate 138 CFB Rankings? pic.twitter.com/Za4wTl5yFA
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) August 17, 2026 The hate for the Spartans wasn't the only thing that stood out in these rankings as fans of other schools were quite to call out some odd things in Young's post. For me personally, I was surprised to see FCS power and first-year FBS member North Dakota State at No. 26 in his rankings. The Bison have been a powerhouse at the FCS level but I'm not sure they'll quickly make the jump to contending for a spot in the College Football Playoff this year.
I personally won't take much away from these rankings in relation to the Spartans as I don't see a world where Michigan State is that bad of a team this fall. I, of course, could be wrong but I would be shocked if Michigan State is on the caliber of being a bottom tier MAC team this upcoming season.
Michigan State kicks off the 2026 season on September 4 against the Toledo Rockets. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET from Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Mich.
This article originally appeared on Spartans Wire: FOX Sports analyst trashes Spartans in comical preseason college football rankings
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