After finishing last year 2-5, Mel Tucker and the Michigan State Spartans would start this season on fire with an 8-0 start, including a comeback victory over their in-state rivals from Ann Arbor and their first New Year’s Six Bowl game victory since 2015. The Spartans saw fit to reward Tucker with a lengthy extension, and Tucker is already looking ahead for bigger and better things for his program.
But the Spartans will be put through the ringer next season, as their 2022 schedule has been ranked the 9th toughest in college football with five matchups against potentially ranked opponents.
They write:
“We’re not going to know what’s in store for Michigan State’s encore until the Spartans emerge from the first five weeks of the season pre-Ohio State Oct. 8. By then, Michigan State will have traveled to Washington and hosted Minnesota in their quest to start 5-0. If that happens, and very well could, Mel Tucker’s squad takes on the Buckeyes, Wisconsin and Michigan consecutively over a four-week stretch. Then there’s a road game at Penn State in the regular-season finale. Two of Michigan State’s toughest games (Ohio State, Wisconsin) are in East Lansing, so that’s one positive to draw from a challenging schedule.”
– – Quotes via 247Sports Link – –
