I get it, the title might be a large expectation, but who's to say that the 2025 Michigan State football team can't make some real noise this season?
With Friday night's opener inching closer and closer. It got me thinking about what the Spartans can actually accomplish this season.
The 2024 Indiana Hoosiers came out of nowhere under first-year head coach Curt Cignetti. He brought a whole squad with him from James Madison, and they got the quarterback right, bought in, and ended up with a playoff berth, not to mention 10 wins.
Sure, the Spartans' schedule certainly doesn't exactly have a 10-win season written on it. Road trips to USC, Nebraska, Iowa, and Minnesota could easily be Ls. Not to mention Michigan, and the easiest loss to pick out on the schedule at home against Penn State, who's the world's top pick to win the Big Ten, but you just never know, especially in this era of college football.
So why do I think the Spartans can surprise in 2025? The Spartans have the quarterback. Aidan Chiles is back for year three under Jonathan Smith. Sure, the turnovers blew a lot of great chances in 2024. But Chiles has looked more and more confident during fall camp.
A lot of that trouble was because Chiles was running for his life last season. Smith made sure to address the offensive line this offseason. The best part of that work is the fact that the Spartan offensive line actually has depth.
Captain Matt Gulbin spoke with plenty of confidence during the Big Ten Network's visit to MSU's camp this past week -- as did offensive tackle Stanton Ramil at Big Ten Media Days. That makes me feel confident in this year's offensive line.
Last week's "Meet the Spartans" event also felt the most positive. It has been a while since I have felt that type of vibe from the Michigan State football program.
I'm getting my hopes up, and I could be wrong, but something feels good about this team.