Michigan State football picked to finish No. 16 in 2026 preseason Big Ten media poll

The Michigan State Spartans kick off their season in just over a month from now but the 2026 preseason Big Ten Football poll conducted by Cleveland.com is not suggesting it will be a good one. MSU was picked to finish 16th in the 18-team league.

Ohio State was picked first with 15 first-place votes, giving the Buckeyes 540 points in the poll. It marks the 10th time since the poll began in 2011 that OSU has been picked first by media.

Oregon was picked second with 11 first-place votes, finishing with 527 points. Reigning Big Ten and National Champion, Indiana, was picked third with five first-place votes, totaling 509 points overall in the poll.

As for the Spartans, MSU was picked just ahead of Rutgers (No. 17) and Purdue (No. 18). First-year head coach Pat Fitzgerald will look to lead MSU to its first bowl game since 2021 following four straight losing seasons.

As for the overall conference picks, the poll picked the following:

1. Ohio State

2. Oregon

3. Indiana

4. USC

5. Michigan

6. Penn State

7. Washington

8. Iowa

9. Illinois

10. Minnesota

11. Nebraska

12. Wisconsin

13. UCLA

14. Northwestern

15. Maryland

16. Michigan State

17. Rutgers

18. Purdue

The Spartans open their season on Friday, Sept. 4 at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time against Toledo.