Michigan State basketball, football 1 of 4 schools to accomplish major feat

Michigan State basketball and football have accomplished an impressive feat that only three other schools have.

We have it pretty good in East Lansing. I think we already knew that, but how good do Michigan State basketball and football fans have it?

With MSU’s recent struggles both in basketball and football, we sometimes forget how good the Spartans have been in recent years. The two programs have been so good in the last decade that they are only one of four schools to accomplish one impressive feat.

Final Fours in both basketball and football since 2014

With the four-team College Football Playoffs (CFP) ending this season, people are beginning to look back at the event’s history over the past decade. Not many teams have qualified for these playoffs, but even fewer have made the CFP and a basketball Final Four since 2014.

Schools that made the four-team playoff and a final four in that span (2014-2024) pic.twitter.com/KAM2N5C03C

— College Basketball Report (@CBKReport) January 3, 2024

MSU is one of only four schools to make both the four-team playoff and men’s basketball Final Four since 2014, which is when the former began.

That puts into perspective just how good we have it in East Lansing. Our teams have reached the pinnacle of their respective sports in the two major college sports. We are extremely lucky to be able to say that.

Michigan State basketball

Michigan State basketball is the only team to make it to the Final Four twice in this timeframe. The first came in 2015 when MSU made an improbable run to the Final Four. After a mediocre 27-12 record, the Spartans received a 7-seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Spartans then went on to beat seeds 2-4 (Virginia, Oklahoma, and Louisville) to take us to our ninth Final Four. The run came to an end in the semifinals where MSU lost to eventual champion Duke, 81-61.

The Spartans also made the Final Four in 2019, led by Cassius Winston. They won the Big Ten regular season and tournament championship and earned a 2-seed in the tournament. They had a drama-free first three games before a magical Elite Eight game against Duke. Kenny Goins hit the game-winning shot against one of the best Duke teams of all time to send us to the Final Four. Again, their run ended in the Final Four, this time against Texas Tech.

Michigan State football

Michigan State football only made one CFP appearance during the four-team playoff era. As I’m sure you all remember, that came in 2015 after one of the wildest seasons in program history. The Spartans finished the regular season 11-1 (8-1) before beating undefeated Iowa in the Big Ten title game. The path to our 12-1 record and 3-seed in the CFP was one for the memory books.

Of MSU’s 12 wins, six were by one score or less. That includes the magical non-conference win over Oregon, the “Trouble with the Snap” win in Ann Arbor, the Michael Geiger game-winning field goal at Ohio State, and the Big Ten title over Iowa.

Unfortunately, the season ended harshly in the playoff after a blowout loss to eventual champion Alabama. But there’s no need to hang our heads about that. Not many teams can even say they made it into the CFP, so MSU fans should be thankful they had the opportunity to participate before it expands to 12 teams next season.

State of Michigan

I also want to appreciate for one second the state of Michigan. I never like giving credit to that team down the road, but how awesome is it that both us and Michigan made this list? In a perfect world, Michigan hasn’t made it to either Final Four, but I think we still can appreciate the amount of success the state has had.

I’ve always said that our rivalry is more fun when both teams are good. And both schools have been very good in both sports in the past decade.

So even though both basketball and football have had some down years recently, it’s always good to remember how good we have had it. We are one of four schools to accomplish this impressive feat, and nobody can ever take that away from Michigan State.