Michigan State football No. 1 in Big Ten in top 10 matchup win percentage
Michigan State football has had countless iconic wins throughout their history. Come-from-behind wins, upsets, and last-second wins are scattered throughout the program's rich history.
But one thing Michigan State has been more than exceptional at is beating very good teams. So much so that the Spartans top the Big Ten in winning percentage in top 10 matchups.
All-time Records in Top 10 Matchups for Big Ten Programs 🏈
— CFB Matchups (@MatchupTracker) June 1, 2024
(Games with both teams ranked in the AP Top 10, including non-conf. opponents)
Which record surprises you the most? pic.twitter.com/j0Hywmor5F
The above graphic shows each Big Ten team's record in games when both teams are ranked inside the top 10 of the AP Poll. As you can see, Michigan State has the highest winning percentage with a 21-8-1 record, which comes in at an impressive .717 winning percentage.
This just goes to show that when Michigan State is having a great season, the Spartans typically don't come up short against the top opponents on their schedule.
The most recent win that counts towards this record was in 2021 against Michigan, when the Spartans came back to defeat the Wolverines 37-33 behind five Kenneth Walker III touchdowns. Later that season, Michigan State added a loss to this record when it was defeated dominantly at the hands of the Buckeyes.
We owe a lot of thanks to Mark Dantonio who won a lot of these games during his tenure. The Rose Bowl and Cotton Bowl stand out as well as the two Big Ten Championship wins over Ohio State and Iowa. Trouble with the Snap unfortunately doesn't count to this total as Michigan was ranked No. 12, but the Spartans win at Ohio State later that year does.
The one bad thing with this statistic is that Michigan State hasn't had all that many wins in these top 10 matchups compared to other Big Ten teams. In fact, Michigan State ranks No. 6 in the conference in total number of wins in these matchups and are even doubled up by USC and Ohio State.
Hopefully Jonathan Smith is able to get Michigan State back into the top 10 and winning some more of these high profile matchups, because outside of the couple examples from 2021 this record has stayed pretty stagnant. I have complete faith that Smith can get MSU there, but we're going to need to be patient for a few years.