Before the season started, the Spartans dismissed four players, Donnie Corley, Josh King, Demetric Vance and Auston Robertson, charged with sexual misconduct.
Michigan State started the 2017 season with wins over Bowling Green and Western Michigan, losing to Notre Dame in week 3. The Spartans went on to win against Iowa, No. 7 Michigan, Minnesota and Indiana before losing to Northwestern. In November, the Spartans defeated then No.7 Penn State, lost to then No.11 Ohio State, but went on to win their last two regular season games against Maryland and Rutgers.