Michigan State Football: Why a bad Year 1 will not cut it for Mel Tucker

Anything under three wins should raise huge concerns

Maybe I’ve become spoiled after watching a decade and a half of Mark Dantonio, but I expect this program to shoot for a national title. I’m not saying that’s the expectation necessarily, but when a head coach is signed to this team, that should be the end goal. Yes, Michigan State football is in relative disrepair, but we’re only a couple of years removed from the College Football Playoff.

Now, while it wasn’t too long ago that this team was competing for a national title, we’re even closer to a 3-9 finish where the Spartans couldn’t seem to beat a Big Ten team. And that’s the confusing part about this team — the floor is low and the ceiling is high.

But when you take a look at every team that has made the College Football Playoff to this point, none of their coaches began their time at their respective schools with a losing record. Granted, a lot of these guys took over programs that were in a better spot, but of 11 qualifying schools, zero won less than seven games in their first season including Mark Dantonio.