Sports Illustrated Ranks Michigan State No. 13 in Preseason Top 25

Sports Illustrated has released its preseason Top 25, a list which ranks the Michigan State Spartans at unlucky No. 13.

Hopefully that’s not a subtle sign of #Disrespekt, especially since we’re trying to move on from that whole thing.

Anyway, whether you’re superstitious or not, here’s what the site has to say about MSU:

Quarterback is the question, as senior Tyler O’Connor and junior Damion Terry battle for the job with 80 career pass attempts combined. But three tailbacks that each carried 100-plus times last year (Gerald Holmes, a junior, and sophomores Madre London and LJ Scott) will ease the transition for whomever wins the job.

The 6’6”, 280-pound Malik McDowell (13 tackles-for-loss in 2015) can play inside and outside and be one of the nation’s dominant linemen as a junior. Senior linebacker Ed Davis (ACL tear) and sophomore cornerback Vayante Copeland (fractured vertebrae) return to bolster an already formidable back seven.​

The ranking places the Spartans third in the Big Ten East, behind Michigan (No. 4) and Ohio State (No. 9). The highest-ranked West division team is Iowa (14), which is also the division’s only ranked school.

Luckily, the Top 25 after the season is the one that counts.