Two massive wins against top-15 SEC foes prove Michigan State's elite status. The Spartans demand a top-5 ranking; here's why.
The Michigan State Spartans have already accumulated two major victories in the first four games of the season.
They took down two top-15 SEC schools in the span of one week. First, beating then-No. 14 Arkansas by three points in a nail-biter at the Breslin Center. Then they hit the road and traveled to New York to face Kentucky at Madison Square Garden, where the Spartans opened a can of whoop-ass on the Wildcats, winning 80–66.
The Spartans sit at 4–0 with two other wins against Colgate and San Jose State. They’ll see Detroit Mercy tomorrow back in East Lansing.
But this isn’t a preview piece of what’s coming or a recap of what’s happened. This is an opinion article — the kind meant to create a water-cooler conversation at any workplace.
Should Michigan State rise all the way into the Top-10?
To me, it seems very obvious: yes. The Spartans’ résumé features two ranked wins, and one of those came against a top-10 team (Kentucky), which will drop after two losses.
So let’s look at the top ten teams and compare where Michigan State stacks up:
- Purdue (4–0) – Ranked win vs. No. 8 Alabama, 87–80
- Houston (4–0) – Ranked win over No. 22 Auburn, 73–72
- UConn (4–1) – Ranked win over No. 7 BYU, 86–84; ranked loss to No. 4 Arizona, 71–67
- Arizona (5–0) – Two ranked wins: No. 15 UCLA (69–65) & No. 3 UConn (71–67)
- Duke (5–0) – Ranked win over No. 24 Kansas, 78–66
- Louisville (4–0) – Ranked win over No. 9 Kentucky, 96–88
- Michigan (4–0) – No ranked wins. Will only play one ranked team before conference play.
- Illinois (4–1) – Ranked win vs. No. 11 Texas Tech (81–77); ranked loss to No. 11 Alabama (90–86)
- BYU (3–1) – Ranked loss to No. 3 UConn
- Florida (3–1) – Ranked loss to No. 13 Arizona
And then…
- 17. Michigan State (4–0) – Ranked wins over No. 14 Arkansas & No. 12 Kentucky
And we can keep going down the list with teams that aren’t as good as Michigan State but somehow ended up ahead in the preseason.
I have no problem with five of the top six teams. I don’t think Michigan State needs to leapfrog Purdue, Houston, Arizona, Duke, or Louisville.
Do I think MSU’s résumé speaks for itself and proves to be better than most of the teams currently in the top 10? Of course I do.
Purdue and Houston have strong wins, and while they don’t have two of them, they were rightfully ranked high to begin with. Keep them where they are until they show they don’t belong.
I’m also a big believer that there are no moral wins when it comes to rankings. UConn has a great top-10 win but also a ranked loss. And yes, it was to another top-10 team, but you should still be punished for losing — that’s sports. You want to stay high in the rankings? Battle adversity and win. So no, UConn doesn’t deserve to sit above Michigan State right now.
Arizona belongs inside the top five. Duke, however, is a little wishy-washy. They seem to be ranked more off potential and program history. I won’t be too mad if Duke stays ahead of MSU for now, but a single low-end top-25 win isn’t moving mountains. Michigan State and Duke will face off in about a week, and that will tell the story.
Louisville can stay ahead of MSU with a good win, no losses, and the fact that they were already ranked above.
But then comes little brother on the basketball court. Michigan got a ridiculous preseason ranking because they have a 9-foot alien running around out there. Too bad their coach was too scared to schedule more than one top-25 opponent in the entire non-conference slate. Michigan won’t have proven anything for the first two months of the season and absolutely should not be ranked in the top 10 — or even the top 20. Place them at 22 like they did MSU before the season, let them prove they can beat unranked teams by more than a point, and then we can start talking.
It’s a joke that little brother is ranked above big brother, and I fully expect that to change next week.
After Michigan, Illinois, BYU, and Florida all have losses, and none of them should be ranked ahead of the Spartans.
There are only five or six teams better than Michigan State on paper right now. So yes — Michigan State deserves to be a Top-10 team, and probably a Top-5 team. It’ll be interesting to see what the committee decides when the new rankings drop.
Final Thought: Will Michigan State Actually Be Top-10?
If voters reward résumé instead of brand name, MSU should land somewhere between No. 6 and No. 9. A top-5 jump isn’t crazy — it’s just more likely to happen after the Duke game if the Spartans win that one too.
So yes, Michigan State deserves serious Top-5 consideration, and Top-10 should be a lock.
What do you think — do the Spartans crack the Top-10 next week?