Michigan State University Athletics
Football Opens Season at No. 23
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Football
August 7, 1998
EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan State Spartans have been tabbed the 1998 preseason 23rd-ranked team in the ESPN/USA Today poll.
MSU opens the 1998 campaign when they host the preseason No. 16 team Colorado State on August 29.
The Spartans are one of five Big Ten teams in the preseason top 25 with Ohio State being No. 1, Michigan No. 5, Penn State No. 13 and Wisconsin coming in at No. 20. Michigan State faces each of those schools in 1998, except for Wisconsin.
Rounding out the Spartans preseason ranked opponents for 1998 is Notre Dame, who will travel to East Lansing on September 12.
Here's a full look at the poll.
1998 ESPN/USA Preseason Poll
TEAM (NO. 1 VOTES) '97 REC. POINTS
1. Ohio State (31) 10-3 1,465
2. Florida St. (10) 11-1 1,447
3. Nebraska (12) 13-0 1,372
4. Florida (1) 10-2 1,346
5. Michigan (4) 12-0 1,309
6. Kansas St. (1) 11-1 1,205
7. UCLA (3) 12-0 1,139
8. LSU 9-3 1,062
9. Arizona St. 9-3 993
10. Tennessee 11-2 934
11. North Carolina 11-1 778
12. West Virginia 7-5 738
13. Penn State 9-3 725
14. Syracuse 9-4 662
15. Texas A&M 9-4 600
16. Colorado St. 11-2 543
17. Washington 8-4 506
18. Georgia 10-2 448
19. Virginia 7-4 427
20. Wisconsin 8-5 344
21. So. Mississippi 9-3 271
22. Auburn 10-3 222
23. Michigan St. 7-5 211
24. Notre Dame 7-6 206
25. Arizona 7-5 180
Others receiving votes: Texas (173), Southern California (101), Colorado (80), Georgia Tech (79), Missouri (71), Purdue (66), Brigham Young (64), Oklahoma State (57), Miami, Fla. (42), Mississippi (42), Washington State (41), Iowa (37), Virginia Tech (37), Alabama (25), Utah (22), Clemson (17), Mississippi State (14), Tulane (10), Louisiana Tech (9), Marshall (8), Cincinnati (6), Bowling Green (5), Kentucky (4), Air Force (3), Oregon (3), Duke (1)
