A week ago, Michigan State football picked up a massive win over Boston College in what turned out to be one of the most thrilling games of the week.
The Spartans needed two overtimes to put Boston College away, and it was far from an easy win. They struggled to slow down the Eagles' offense which put up 40 points in the losing effort, and Dylan Lonergan passed for nearly 400 yards. It was a strong performance from the Eagles, and they nearly pulled off the road "upset" of Michigan State.
The win, however, felt like a turning point for the program. The Spartan offense engineered an emotional win against a solid Bill O'Brien-coached team.
Unfortunately, that win isn't looking as impressive this week as Boston College went on the road in Week 3 and was held in check by a team that has struggled for the past few seasons. Stanford was able to take care of Boston College, 30-20, in regulation on Saturday night.
Lonergan did have another big game, passing for 333 yards and a touchdown against the Cardinal, but the defense didn't do much to slow Stanford down, giving up over 400 total yards.
Seeing Boston College struggle with a team that had been one of the worst in the Power Five in the final years of the Pac-12 was not ideal, and it planted a seed of doubt within a lot of Spartan fans.
While this could ultimately mean nothing because bad games happen, it's concerning when you consider how bad Stanford has looked this season. The Cardinal were 0-2 with losses to Hawaii and BYU to start the year, so that could be a bad sign. Maybe that Boston College win wasn't as impressive as originally thought.
There's a lot of season left, though.