1998 Michigan State Spartans football team

1998 Michigan State Spartans football
1998 Michigan State Spartans football
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Record	6–6 (4–4 Big Ten)
Head coach	Nick Saban (4th season);
Offensive coordinator	Gary Tranquill (4th season)
Offensive scheme	Pro set
Defensive coordinator	Chris Cosh (1st season)
Base defense	4–3
Captains	Garett Gould; Sedrick Irvin; Jason Strayhorn; Amp Campbell; Sorie Kanu; Courtney Ledyard;
Home stadium	Spartan Stadium
	Seasons ← 1997 1999 →

The 1998 Michigan State Spartans football team competed on behalf of Michigan State University in the Big Ten Conference during the 1998 NCAA Division I-A football season. Head coach Nick Saban was in his fourth season with the Spartans. Michigan State played their home games at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Michigan. The Spartans went 6–6 overall and 4–4 in conference play. The team did not play a bowl game following the 1998 regular season.

1998 Big Ten Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
No. 2 Ohio State %	7	–	1	11	–	1
No. 6 Wisconsin $	7	–	1	11	–	1
No. 12 Michigan	7	–	1	10	–	3
No. 24 Purdue	6	–	2	9	–	4
No. 17 Penn State	5	–	3	9	–	3
Michigan State	4	–	4	6	–	6
Minnesota	2	–	6	5	–	6
Indiana	2	–	6	4	–	7
Illinois	2	–	6	3	–	8
Iowa	2	–	6	3	–	8
Northwestern	0	–	8	3	–	9

$ – BCS representative as conference champion % – BCS at-large representative – Conference co-champions Rankings from AP Poll

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
August 29	4:00 p.m.	No. 15 Colorado State*	No. 23	Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI (BCA Classic)	ESPN2	L 16–23	68,624
September 5	3:30 p.m.	at Oregon*	No. 23	Autzen Stadium Eugene, OR	ABC	L 14–48	43,634
September 12	8:00 p.m.	No. 10 Notre Dame*		Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI (Megaphone Trophy)	ABC	W 45–23	74,267
September 26	12:00 p.m.	at Michigan		Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI (Paul Bunyan Trophy)	ABC	L 17–29	111,238
October 3	1:00 p.m.	Central Michigan*		Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI		W 38–7	70,905
October 10	12:00 p.m.	Indiana		Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI (Old Brass Spittoon)	ESPN	W 38–31 ^2OT	73,425	^[1]
October 24	12:00 p.m.	at Minnesota		Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome Minneapolis, MN	ESPN	L 18–19	41,327
October 31	12:00 p.m.	Northwestern		Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI	ESPN2	W 29–5	67,473
November 7	3:30 p.m.	at No. 1 Ohio State		Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH	ABC	W 28–24	93,595
November 14	12:00 p.m.	Purdue		Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI	ESPN	L 24–25	69,010
November 21	1:00 p.m.	Illinois		Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI		W 41–9	67,285
November 28	1:00 p.m.	at No. 23 Penn State		Beaver Stadium University Park, PA (Land Grant Trophy)	ABC	L 28–51	96,358
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP / Coaches Polls released prior to game All times are in Eastern time

1998 Michigan State Spartans football team roster

Players

Coaches

Offense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
TE	`83`	Chris Baker	Fr
QB	`16`	Bill Burke	Jr
WR	`4`	Plaxico Burress	So

Defense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
DT	`99`	Dimitrius Underwood	Sr

Special teams

Pos.	#	Name	Class

The following players were selected in the 1999 NFL draft.

Player	Round	Pick	Position	NFL Team
Dimitrius Underwood	1	29	Defensive End	Minnesota Vikings
Sedrick Irvin	4	103	Running Back	Detroit Lions

^ Dye, Dave (October 11, 1998). "MSU outlasts IU in two". The Detroit News. p. 1C. Retrieved October 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.

This college football 1990s season article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.