Cheaters, cowards, you name it, I've heard it all over the last week. Michigan State football is clearly at rock bottom.
From the fallout of having 14 wins vacated from 2022-2024, to how everything has been handled with the program for the better part of the last decade, this isn't the Michigan State football or, in some cases, the university that I'm proud to be a supporter (and alum) of.
Arguably, this goes back as far as Dec. 31, 2015. That night against Alabama in the College Football Playoff began a now 10-plus-year downfall for a program that was amongst the elite in the country, and in control of the rivalry with Michigan.
Since that date, Spartan football has seen a 3-9 season surrounded by off-the-field problems. Dantonio was more or less forced out after setting the school record for wins following the 2019 season, to arguably two of the worst coaches in school history.
Mel Tucker and Jonathan Smith, who could've seen it?
I've heard and seen enough during the Smith era to be completely done with the guy. They took an unnecessary chance with Smith, and surprise, surprise, it didn't work.
No growth, and not to mention the Spartans haven't had a good offensive line since 2015. So, no matter who is at quarterback, they’ve been getting killed. It's just unacceptable.
Was Smith set up to fail?
His comments following the Spartans' seventh-straight loss bring an even bigger concern to me.
Forget the crap Tucker put the program through, the leaders at the university have failed on way too many levels at this point. It all began with making the wrong hires two times in a row. Not to mention former athletic director Alan Haller, who didn't even inform Smith that the school was under investigation when he was hired.
Jonathan Smith: "I did not know about the investigation when I took the Michigan State job."
— Emmett Matasovsky (@E_Matasovsky57) November 16, 2025
For as bad as Smith's tenure has been, the school arguably set him up to fail.
So, what's next?
Clearly there is a far bigger problem on the MSU campus. Which is why I pose the question does anyone at Michigan State even care anymore?
As far as I see it, Michigan State football is dead and likely going to be bad for years. Not to mention, apparently the university doesn't even care. I get that the price to let Smith go isn't pretty, but can we at least show some pride?