Michigan State continues to be in control of its own destiny in the College Football Playoff — just barely.
Michigan State’s win against the most hyped team of the year should have propelled them up the polls, but the slim margin of victory and the fact that all the teams ranked ahead of them also won meant the Spartans stayed put at No. 7 in the AP.
Unfortunately, perception matters a lot when it comes to the playoff. It came to light this week that if MSU loses to Ohio State and Michigan beats the Buckeyes — assuming all three win the rest of their games — then the Big Ten East division winner will be decided by their playoff ranking.