Is Chiles the Answer for MSU to Get Back to a Bowl Game?
The Michigan State Spartans missed their opportunity to head back to a bowl game in three consecutive seasons. With a matured Aidan Chiles back under center, is 2025 the year that MSU gets back to the promised land?
Chiles may have had a rather underwhelming season considering the large expectations he received joining MSU, but that should not make Spartan fans pessimistic about MSU's chances of bouncing back next season. Chiles himself said that 2025 will not be a repeat of 2024, or so he hopes.
The new additions to the program through recruiting and the transfer portal may give Chiles the chance to throw the football to more than just wide receiver Nick Marsh. Marsh, last season, led the Spartans in its receiving department, totaling 649 yards in what was his freshman campaign.
Chiles' season concluded with him throwing for 2,415 passing yards and 13 touchdowns while obtaining a completion rate of 59.4%. An area of concern for Chiles going forward was the amount of interceptions he threw, totaling 11 by the end of the season. Interceptions can be a real rally killer, but that pretty much summed up how the Spartans' play went last season.
Chiles is still young, entering his junior season in 2025, and saw a lot of growth from his freshman to sophomore year. College is still a learning period for these young players, and as Chiles gains more confidence in his second year manning the ship for the Spartans, the poorer side of his offensive numbers will likely get better.
For MSU, 2015 was the last and only season the program made it to the College Playoff, and it has not been to any bowl game since their 2021 season. But Jonathan Smith is off to a solid start to the offseason, and given his track record with Oregon State, the Spartans should not be ruled out.
MSU has been to 29 bowl games in its history and holds a 14-15 record in said games. There's no doubt that, a the very least, the Spartans need to return to a bowl game next season.
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Dominic Minchella holds a communications degree from Eastern Michigan University. He is a former MLB writer and joins our team ad an NFL/College team reporter on Sports Illustrated