REPORT: Does Michigan State Have a Chance to Make the Expanded Playoffs?

The College Football Playoffs has added additional teams to the playoff format. Does Michigan State have a realistic shot of sneaking in?

Michigan State's head coach Jonathan Smith looks on during camp on Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, at the indoor practice facility in East Lansing. / Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

Michigan State has had an eventful offseason and is expected to have an even more eventful regular season, which starts soon against Florida Atlantic at home.

Betting the underdog always leads to bigger payouts. Coach Jonathan Smith has done all he could this offseason to prepare Michigan State for the season ahead. Still, heading into this season, Michigan State is undoubtedly an underdog to have a successful season. 

With college football season starting, predictions for the season are abound. A sportsbook in Las Vegas recently released its National Championship odds for teams nationwide this upcoming season. Like most projections by college football experts, Circa Sportsbook does not like Michigan State’s chances of winning the National Championship this season.

The odds show the odds are slim. According to Circa Sportsbook, the Spartans have long odds to win it all, with their odds being listed at +500000. Michigan State’s odds to win the championship mirror the projections it has received this offseason from many college football experts. Coach Smith and the Spartans hope to surprise those experts and the sportsbooks in Las Vegas this upcoming season by exceeding the low expectations that have been placed upon them.

The teams with the best odds to win the National Championship this year, according to Circa, are Georgia, which has +290 odds, and Ohio State, which is listed at +375. Another Big Ten opponent for Michigan State also has a good chance of winning it all. Oregon is listed at +600. Two of the teams with the best chances to win the National Championship are opponents for the Spartans this upcoming season.

In their first season in East Lansing, Smith and his coaching staff are simply looking to improve mightily from what Michigan State has been over the last couple of seasons. Smith has added plenty of talent to the roster via the transfer portal and has started to focus on Michigan State’s future recruiting classes.

While Michigan State has virtually no chance of winning the national championship this season, with a few more productive transfer portal classes and recruiting classes, it may not be far from making the newly expanded College Football Playoffs.

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