The start of the Jonathan Smith era in East Lansing didn't quite go as planned. The first-year Michigan State football coach, like his predecessor, didn't make a bowl game in his first season and the Spartans have now gone three straight years without a postseason berth.
Michigan State finished the season 5-7 and put up a clunker in the finale against Rutgers to miss out on a bowl. That was the perfect ending to a month of November that was pretty much an overwhelming disaster for the Spartans.
Now that the offseason is in full swing and 2025 will be a huge prove-it year for Smith and Co., we can start to look forward and see what changes need to be made.
Let's dive into a few New Year's resolutions the Spartans must make for 2025.
1. Make a bowl game
I'm going to put the most obvious resolution at No. 1 because why not?
Michigan State hasn't sniffed the postseason since Kenneth Walker III was still tearing up defenses back in 2021 and that needs to change. A proud program like Michigan State should never go three straight years without winning six-plus games because good programs just don't do that. It shouldn't be that difficult to just go .500.
Smith will have a ton of pressure on his shoulders to make a bowl game in 2025 and I think he'll have the pieces on the roster, especially with how he's building through the transfer portal.
Make a bowl game and let the fans enjoy some football in December for the first time since 2021.