Michigan State football will open the 2022 season ranked just a few spots outside the top 10.
The preseason USA TODAY Sports coaches poll was released on Monday, and the Spartans landed inside the top 15. Michigan State came in at No. 14, one spot behind North Carolina State and one spot ahead of USC.
Buy Spartans TicketsMichigan State was one of four Big Ten teams to be ranked in the preseason poll. Ohio State was the highest ranked Big Ten squad at No. 2, with Michigan (No. 6) and Wisconsin (No. 20) being the other two ranked teams from the league. Iowa, Penn State, Minnesota and Purdue also received votes in the preseason poll.
A look at the full preseason AFCA Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports:
| Rank | Team | Points | 1st Place Votes |
| 1 | Alabama | 1,634 | 54 |
| 2 | Ohio State | 1,564 | 5 |
| 3 | Georgia | 1,542 | 6 |
| 4 | Clemson | 1,356 | – |
| 5 | Notre Dame | 1,284 | – |
| 6 | Michigan | 1,232 | – |
| 7 | Texas A&M | 1,219 | – |
| 8 | Utah | 1,134 | – |
| 9 | Oklahoma | 1,027 | – |
| 10 | Baylor | 891 | – |
| 11 | Oklahoma State | 859 | – |
| 12 | Oregon | 734 | – |
| 13 | North Carolina State | 726 | – |
| 14 | Michigan State | 711 | – |
| 15 | Southern California | 602 | – |
| 16 | Pittsburgh | 450 | – |
| 17 | Miami (Fl) | 433 | – |
| 18 | Texas | 383 | 1 |
| 19 | Wake Forest | 381 | – |
| 20 | Wisconsin | 369 | – |
| 21 | Kentucky | 353 | – |
| 22 | Cincinnati | 339 | – |
| 23 | Arkansas | 334 | – |
| 24 | Ole Miss | 327 | – |
| 25 | Houston | 257 | – |
Others Receiving Votes
Iowa 248; Penn State 246; Tennessee 163; Brigham Young 152; Louisiana State 143; Auburn 98; Central Florida 55; North Carolina 34; San Diego State 25; Fresno State 21; Mississippi State 19; Florida 17; Utah State 12; Air Force 12; UCLA 10; Boise State 10; Appalachian State 10; Minnesota 6; South Carolina 5; Kansas State 4; Iowa State 3; Army 3; UL Lafayette 2; Southern Methodist 2; Purdue 2; Oregon State 2; Coastal Carolina 2; Texas-San Antonio 1; Louisville 1; Florida State 1
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