In the long, dragging sports-less days of July, there are almost guaranteed to be annual college football debates as everyone is close to going crazy with only one sport on TV.
One of those debates happens to be the best college football teams of all time and the lists almost always include Michigan State in the top 25. The AP usually releases its top 25 teams of all time every year and Michigan State is in it, but with another stretch like we’ve seen over the past 5-6 years, the program could drop a spot or two outside of the top 25.
However, one recent ranking had Michigan State safely inside the top 25 all-time, settled in right inside that top 20, too.
And honestly, heck yeah.
The Best College Football Programs Of All Time👑
— Throne Spud (@ThroneSpud) July 17, 2026
Possibly the most controversial list we've ever done, I'm sure the comments will be full of fanbases agreeing with each other and calling me very nice words😇❤️
Please voice your opinions👇😃 pic.twitter.com/owLY5VT1gp
Michigan State finds itself ahead of some really good programs like Oregon, Washington, Arkansas, Ole Miss, Wisconsin, and Texas A&M. It’s also just behind Auburn, Penn State, Miami, and Florida State. Not too shabby considering the shambles that the program has been in since Mark Dantonio retired before the 2020 season.
Don’t let the rival fans tell you that Michigan State is a bottom-dwelling program because it clearly has respect on a national level in these yearly rankings.
This new era of Michigan State football needs to put the program back in its rightful place.
Does Michigan State belong in the top 20?
Michigan State getting more love as an all-time program than Oregon feels crazy in the moment, but the Ducks don’t have a single national title so there’s not really an argument there. Washington has a pretty good program, too, but the Spartans have one more national title but the Huskies do have a better all-time win percentage. That’s a close one, too.
I don’t see many other issues behind Michigan State other than fans of programs like Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Wisconsin, Virginia Tech, and Arkansas would all have been with the Spartans being ahead of them.
I think Michigan State is in its rightful spot in that top 20, coming in anywhere from 18-20 but after this recent stretch, anything in the top 25 feels about right.
Michigan State does need to get back to that pre-2020 success under Pat Fitzgerald or it’s going to be a while before the program starts trending back in the right direction.
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