REPORT: Michigan State Football Continues to be Overlooked

The college football world continues to look past the Spartans. Coach Jonathan Smith and Michigan State have a lot to prove this season.

Michigan State's Luke Newman works out during camp on Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, at the indoor practice facility in East Lansing. / Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

Michigan State and Coach Jonathan Smith will soon embark on a football season that could see them lose four games in a row in the middle of the season but also win enough games to potentially be invited to one of the 40 bowl games held every season.

While Coach Smith will be given ample time to rebuild Michigan State’s football program, he has repeatedly said he will not be patient.

Still, Michigan State winning six games or even coming close would be a win for Smith and his coaching staff. The Spartans still have plenty of work to do to get back to where they once were as a football program. Those closest to the program have all spoken confidently about the team and the upcoming season. However, the same optimism is not there on a national level. 

Michigan State has not been to a bowl game in the last two seasons, and many college football experts do not believe they will this upcoming season either.

Scott Dochterman and Stewart Mandel of The Athletic recently released their bowl game predictions, and neither has Michigan State playing in a bowl game. This has become a regular occurrence on preseason projections for bowl games this college football season. ESPN, The Action Network and multiple other sites are not very optimistic about Michigan State’s chances of having a successful season.

It will take Smith finding a way to get the most out of a rebuilt Michigan State roster to prove the doubters wrong. Luckily for Smith, he secured one of the best transfer portal classes in the country this offseason. The transfer portal class and Michigan State’s 2024 recruiting class give them a chance in nearly every game they play this season.

Michigan State is coming off a losing season and is in a full rebuild in Smith’s first season. While it may be unlikely, and even if Michigan State does win six games, it does not guarantee they will be invited to a bowl game, it is undoubtedly possible for them to win six games and have a much better season than most believe is possible.

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