One Accomplishment That Would Make This Season a Success for MSU

There are likely many metrics by which Michigan State coach Jonathan Smith will grade the success of his first season at the helm. However, at 3-3, there is one that should be above all others.

Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

Michigan State is 3-3 after starting the season 3-0.

The Spartans are currently on a three-game losing streak, and their bye week will soon end. Michigan State has returned to the drawing board after the last three games, revealing that while they have undoubtedly made progress from last season, they still have much work left to do. 

The season's first six games have been a mixed bag of results for Coach Jonathan Smith and the Spartans. The first three games showed the team's potential, albeit against mainly inferior opponents. Against Florida Atlantic and Prairie View A&M, the Spartans offense showed flashes of what will come over the next few years as Smith revamps the Spartans’ roster. 

Michigan State’s win over Maryland on the road earlier this season was by far its best win. The Spartans opened up Big Ten play by upsetting the Terrapins a week after Maryland’s offense registered over 600 yards on offense. 

While the Spartans' first three games of the season showed their long-term potential, their last three games showed they still have plenty of room to grow in terms of talent and development. Michigan State’s loss to Boston College on the road was more about health and timing than anything else. The Spartans likely would have won the game if they had been fully healthy. 

Michigan State followed their matchup against Boston College with matchups against Ohio State and Oregon in consecutive weeks. Those two games went about as expected, as Michigan State lost both by large margins. 

Still, the Spartans are at 3-3 and within striking range of their most realistic goals, which they set at the start of the offseason. While Smith and the Spartans likely have their metrics to decide what will make this season a success, there is a straightforward metric that will quickly determine how successful Smith’s first season was or was not.

At the start of the season, many did not expect much from Michigan State. Before they started out 3-0, they were projected to win only four or five games this season. Them starting 3-0 made that projection seem entirely too low. Before the season, many would have given Smith a pass for not making it to a bowl game.

However, after racing out to a 3-0 start, the success of Smith's first season in East Lansing will largely be decided by how the team finishes the season and if they are able to make it to a bowl game.

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