Michigan State football ranked No. 15 in preseason AP poll

EAST LANSING, Mich. – The Michigan State football team is ranked No. 15 in the preseason AP poll coming off last year’s 11-win campaign.

Michigan State didn’t receive a single vote in last year’s preseason polls, but went on to finish 11-2 with a win over Pittsburgh in the Peach Bowl. Mel Tucker’s team beat Michigan for the second season in a row and also took down Penn State on the final week of the regular season.

Despite the departure of star running back Kenneth Walker III, the Spartans have plenty of returning talent offensively, highlighted by quarterback Payton Thorne and star receivers Jayden Reed and Tre Mosley.

On defense, Michigan State figures once again to be stronger up front than in the secondary, with tackles Jacob Slade and Simeon Barrow leading the way.

There’s plenty of experience at the back end with Angelo Grose and Xavier Henderson, but the pass defense as a whole will need to be a lot better if Mel Tucker’s team wants to make a run at a Big Ten East title.

Here’s a look at the full preseason top 25:

1. Alabama
2. Ohio State
3. Georgia
4. Clemson
5. Notre Dame
6. Texas A&M
7. Utah
8. Michigan
9. Oklahoma
10. Baylor
11. Oregon
12. Oklahoma State
13. North Carolina State
14. USC
15. Michigan State
16. Miami (FL)
17. Pittsburgh
18. Wisconsin
19. Arkansas
20. Kentucky
21. Ole Miss
22. Wake Forest
23. Cincinnati
24. Houston
25. BYU