Michigan State basketball, football have No. 21 combined winning percentage in nation

It’s no secret that Michigan State basketball and football have one of the best one-two punches in the country. Both programs have won multiple national championships and have been relevant on the national scene recently as well.

But both programs have also had major struggles in recent years, too.

So how do both programs stack up with the rest of the country?

According to College Basketball Report, Michigan State is No. 21 in the country when it comes to combined winning percentage in both football and basketball over the last 10 years. Their 64 percent winning percentage ranks No. 6 in the Big Ten as well.

When thinking about this graphic and where MSU ended up, two thoughts come to mind.

We have it pretty good in East Lansing

The first thing this chart tells me is that we are pretty spoiled as Michigan State fans. So many athletic programs have elite programs when it comes to one of these sports, but MSU thankfully is rock solid in both.

Just think about all the great stretches we’ve experienced over the years under Tom Izzo. 2017-2020 was about as good as it could be for Michigan State basketball. Three straight Big Ten titles and one final four is no joke, and it could’ve been even better without COVID-19.

Even Michigan State football has had amazing years this past decade as well. The 2014 and 2015 teams under Mark Dantonio were electric. Even 2017 was another solid year with 2021 under Mel Tucker being special as well (shoutout Kenneth Walker).

So overall, it isn’t a surprise seeing the Spartans this high on this chart. But I think we all know it could be better. Which brings me to my second thought.

MSU could realistically be a lot higher

With all the success both programs have had in the last decade, they’ve both equally had some rough times as well, especially recently.

Ever since COVID-19 ended Michigan State’s chances at winning Izzo’s second title in 2020, the team hasn’t been the same. The football team has had more bad years than good including the last two seasons as well as a three-win season in 2016 and a two-win season in 2020.

Even though those are all clearly negatives, I view it as a positive when it comes to this chart. This tells me that our program’s bad years aren’t as bad as other schools and with a few good years from both programs Michigan State can climb up this chart quickly.

And I have complete faith that both programs will do just that.