Michigan State Football: 3 things Spartans are playing for vs. Penn State

Michigan State football lost 56-7 to Ohio State a week ago to drop to 9-2 on the year and many fans just assumed that because a Big Ten title was out of the question that the finale against Penn State was basically a playing-for-nothing game.

But that’s not the case.

Mel Tucker just inked a massive extension with the Spartans and Michigan State is still playing for some big goals which will help the program in the long run.

What is Michigan State playing for against Penn State?

3. Recruiting momentum

Winning 10 regular-season games in Mel Tucker’s first full season is going to do wonders for recruiting for Michigan State. If Michigan State beats Penn State to end the regular season with a 10-2 mark just one year after going 2-5 and selling hope in recruiting, just imagine what it’s going to do for the 2022 and 2023 classes.

If Tucker can prove he can hang with just about every in the Big Ten without his own guys, he can tell recruits that if they join the mix, they will be part of a special national-title contending program.

Once he proves he can hang with Ohio State (in 1-2 recruiting classes), he’s going to continue landing top recruits.

Right now, Tucker has a top-20 recruiting class in 2022 which is impressive given the fact that he landed most of these guys before the season and this 9-2 start. A 10-2 season would surely catapult the recruiting efforts.