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College Football: 10 teams doomed to be worse in 2016

By John Buhler

Jan 1, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the second quarter in the 2015 Sugar Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 1, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the second quarter in the 2015 Sugar Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 25, 2014; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartans head coach Mark Dantonio walks the sideline during the 2nd half of a game at Spartan Stadium. MSU won 35-11. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 25, 2014; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartans head coach Mark Dantonio walks the sideline during the 2nd half of a game at Spartan Stadium. MSU won 35-11. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports /

The Michigan State Spartans are a top 10 program in the country under head coach Mark Dantonio. They’ve been that for at least the last seven years and should be a fixture in the AP Top 25 all season long.

However, if any of the four College Football Playoff teams from last season (Alabama, Clemson, Michigan State, Oklahoma) will fail to get back to the National Semifinals, it has to be the Spartans.

Outside of an easy cupcake game versus the Furman Paladins to begin the year, Michigan State will play a strong slate of games on its 2016 schedule: nine games in the Big 10, at Notre Dame on September 17th, and hosting BYU on October 8th. The Fighting Irish and the Cougars are consistently two of the best programs not in a Power 5 conference in the nation. Notre Dame plays five annual games against the ACC and BYU wants a Big 12 bid.

If anything helps the Spartans this fall, it is that they will play all of their tough Big 10 games in East Lansing this season: Wisconsin (September 24th), Northwestern (October 15th), Michigan (October 29th), and Ohio State (November 19th). The problem is that those are still four of the best seven teams in the Big 10 entering the 2016 NCAA season. All four of those teams can win their Big 10 division this fall.

Ending the season at Penn State on November 29th won’t be easy either. Michigan State is going to roll with Tyler O’Connor at starting quarterback, replacing longtime starter Connor Cook, now with the NFL’s Oakland Raiders.

Even if Michigan State is able to win a ton of games with O’Connor under center, a loss at home to either Michigan or Ohio State just seems inevitable. To win the Big 10 East, two or maybe even just one Big 10 loss will knock a great team out of the National Championship picture.

There is no question that Michigan State should win 10 games this season, but a 10-2 (7-2) regular season in 2016 feels probable. That is a good enough mark to finish as a top 10 team in the nation with an outside chance at a New Years’ Six bowl, but it won’t get the Spartans back to the College Football Playoff.

Next: 6. Navy Midshipmen.

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