How Michigan State Can Become a CFP Contender

Michigan State is sitting at home watching the College Football Playoff, and the Spartans have done so for the last ten seasons.

Spartan fans got a taste of big-time football a decade ago, but MSU has not reached those heights since. In fact, the Spartans have not gotten very close, other than the 2021 season.

A good football team excites everyone in East Lansing, even if basketball is the focus. The path to becoming a playoff team is much shorter than fans realize.

We have seen Arizona State and Indiana make the CFP in the last few seasons, so there’s no reason the Spartans can’t get there. What must MSU do to be one of the top 12 teams in the nation?

It starts with Pat Fitzgerald truly adapting to modern-day college football.

How to turn MSU into a CFP team

Michigan State's new football coach Pat Fitzgerald speaks during his introductory press conference on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, at the Tom Izzo Football Building in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

In his final few seasons at Northwestern, Fitzgerald’s teams were in the basement of the Big Ten. They could not move the football at all, and their defenses could not do enough to keep them in games.

After Fitzgerald’s firing, he spent his years away from football studying where the transfer portal is headed and how NIL is used. He knows coaches must adapt to how things are or get left behind.

He has already made several good hires, including Iowa’s LeVar Woods as his special teams coordinator and associate head coach. If he nails the offensive coordinator hire, MSU could be in good shape from an X’s and O’s standpoint.

However, coaching staffs are not as important if they do not have elite talent on both sides of the ball. The Spartans must spend money on their roster to become competitive.

MSU received a large financial gift from Acrisure’s Greg and Dawn Williams, and the athletic program has nearly $300 million to work with. Much of that money can go towards finding elite talent and ponying up.

Greg Williams, left, shakes hands with Michigan State's new football coach Pat Fitzgerald during an introductory press conference on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, at the Tom Izzo Football Building in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Ohio State spent millions on its national championship-winning roster last season, and while Michigan State is not on the same level as Ohio State, it’s a desirable place to play. Having a major financial incentive won’t hurt for recruiting.

Once those players are on campus, it will be up to them to execute against the best teams they face. The Spartans have been lifeless against the conference's best teams over the last half-decade.

Sep 7, 2024; College Park, Maryland, USA; A detailed view of Michigan State Spartans helmet on the field before the game against the Maryland Terrapins at SECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

There is a path to the CFP for this MSU team, but everyone from the top down must do their job.

Hire the coaches, spend the money, make the plays.

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