1966 Michigan State Spartans football team

1966 Michigan State Spartans football
National champion (Football Research)
Co-national champion (Helms, NFF, Poling)
Big Ten champion
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 2
APNo. 2
Record9–0–1 (7–0 Big Ten)
Head coach
MVPGeorge Webster
CaptainClinton Jones, George Webster
Home stadiumSpartan Stadium
Seasons
← 1965
1967 →
1966 Big Ten Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 2 Michigan State $ 7 0 0 9 0 1
No. 7 Purdue 6 1 0 9 2 0
Michigan 4 3 0 6 4 0
Illinois 4 3 0 4 6 0
Minnesota 3 3 1 4 5 1
Ohio State 3 4 0 4 5 0
Northwestern 2 4 1 3 6 1
Wisconsin 2 4 1 3 6 1
Indiana 1 5 1 1 8 1
Iowa 1 6 0 2 8 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1966 Michigan State Spartans football team represented Michigan State University in the 1966 Big Ten Conference football season. Michigan State lodged a 9–0–1 record, with a season-concluding tie against Notre Dame in the "game of the century", considered among the greatest games in college football history.

Despite repeating as Big Ten champion, the Spartans knew going into the season they would not be going to a bowl game. Conference rules at the time barred the same team from representing the conference in the Rose Bowl in consecutive seasons and barred teams from appearing in any bowl game other than the Rose Bowl. The former rule was rescinded in 1972 and the latter in 1975.

The College Football Researchers Association selected Michigan State as national champion, while the Helms Athletic Foundation, National Football Foundation (NFF), and Poling System selected them as co-national champion.[1]: 113  Notre Dame was selected as national champion by the AP and Coaches polls.[2]

  1. ^ 2018 NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association. August 2018. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
  2. ^ "Past Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (Division I FBS) National Champions (formerly called Division I-A)". ncaa.org. Archived from the original on May 9, 2008. Retrieved January 1, 2009.