The season opener is finally here and Michigan State fans are going to get their first real look at what a Pat Fitzgerald-run program looks like up close.
Everyone got a good idea during the offseason as Fitzgerald showed up with more energy and personality than the last two head coaches combined. He brought the excitement back, but if that doesn’t translate to wins, it’s all for naught.
The first true test is on Friday night as Michigan State welcomes Toledo to East Lansing for a sneaky-good showdown to kick off Labor Day weekend. We watched as Rutgers was stomped by UMass on Thursday night so there’s a little nervous anticipation flowing throughout the fanbase, but Fitzgerald will have his team ready to go.
So without further ado, let’s dive into the first weekly bold predictions of the Fitzgerald era.
1. Cam Edwards rushes for 150 yards
There’s some nervous energy entering Friday’s opener but Cam Edwards is going to abruptly take some pressure off with an early touchdown and his ability to find seams and burst through them will lead to several big runs and an overall excellent start to his Spartan career.
While he won’t pull a K9 and score a 75-yard touchdown on his first play as a Spartan, he’s going to break off a couple 30-plus yarders and he’ll be mostly responsible for the first touchdown drive.
Edwards finishes the day with 22 carries for 158 yards and two touchdowns.
2. Chrishon McCray breaks 100 yards for the first time
No. 1 wasn’t bold enough? How about projecting Michigan State’s WR1 to go over 100 yards for the first time in his Spartan career? That’s pretty bold, if you ask me.
McCray’s highest-yardage game was in late November of 2025 against Iowa when he caught six passes for 75 yards and two touchdowns. He clearly had a stronger rapport with Alessio Milivojevic than he did Aidan Chiles and now that the two are even more acquainted, there are going to be fireworks in the passing game this year.
McCray is going to have his best game as a Spartan on Friday night, catching eight passes for 115 yards and a touchdown.
3. Michigan State holds Toledo under 14 points
First-year Toledo head coach Mike Jacobs is taking over for Jason Candle and he’s going the Curt Cignetti route by bringing a truckload of transfers over with him from Mercer. In case you don’t recall, Cignetti was hired by Indiana in 2024 and brought James Madison players with him and they immediately hit the ground running.
Some experts believe that it’s going to help Toledo win the MAC.
Mercer is a little different than James Madison, however. For one, it’s the FCS so bringing those caliber of transfers over doesn’t exactly guarantee success. And two, Mercer lost to a mediocre Auburn team 62-17 last season. Miss me with the “it was before they got really good” because it was in the second-to-last game of the regular season.
Toledo is going to have more talent than Mercer did obviously, but I think the Rockets suffer a similar offensive fate as Jacobs’ team did against Auburn last year.
Max Bullough, Joe Rossi, and Fitzgerald are all brilliant defensive minds and with plenty of time to prepare for this game, I expect complete domination. Michigan State is going to hold Toledo under 14 points on Friday night. Will the offense show up to ensure a win? Yes.
Michigan State wins this one 27-13.
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