Michigan State football gets favorable 2019 preseason AP ranking at No. 18

The first AP Top 25 rankings came out for the 2019 season and Michigan State football got a surprisingly favorable spot at No. 18.

It’s finally here. Not only is the regular season for college football starting in just a handful of days, but the first AP Poll has been released, so we know it’s real now.

Michigan State finished the 2018 season with a 7-6 record and that was considered incredibly disappointed, especially with all the talent that returned from a 10-win team in 2017. Most of the production returns yet again and there’s a mixed bag of expectations surrounding the Spartans.

Mark Dantonio’s team has plenty of talent, but just how will it fare in 2019? There have been predictions from anywhere between 6-11 wins and even Big Ten titles, but no one truly knows what to expect from this veteran team.

The first AP rankings of the season prove to be somewhat favorable for the Spartans, though, considering how poor the offense looked last year.

Michigan State is actually the fourth-highest ranked team from the Big Ten, behind Penn State, Michigan and Ohio State which are all in the top 15. The Spartans are ahead of Wisconsin, Iowa and Nebraska which are all Big Ten West foes but the Badgers are the only one on the schedule for 2019.

Dantonio’s team will face four of the Big Ten teams in the AP Top 25 and that could be a chance for the Spartans to prove themselves worthy of an even higher ranking.

Usually Dantonio follows up a disappointing season with a surprising one and this one has the feel of an “exceed expectations” type of year.