Sitting at 4-6 on the year with two games remaining, Michigan State football has a lot of work to do. The Spartans are riding their second three-game losing streak of the season and this one is far more disappointing than the first one which featured losses to two top-five teams in Ohio State and Oregon.
This losing streak, however, has featured just one ranked opponent as the Spartans lost 24-17 to Michigan, 47-10 to a then-top-15 Indiana team, and the latest defeat was a 38-16 road loss to Illinois fresh off a much-needed bye.
The last loss was arguably the most disheartening because it felt like the season was officially a lost cause even with two tries left to make a bowl game.
Michigan State's mental will be tested in these final two games. We'll find out if this squad is more like last year's team that just didn't have it or if it's good enough to make the postseason and shake off the adversity. Luckily, the final two games come against a couple of Big Ten bottom-dwellers.
Purdue awaits on Friday and the game will take place in East Lansing. The Boilermakers have been bad all season long. But the Spartans have fallen on hard times and just lost two of their best defenders potentially for the rest of the year in Malik Spencer and Charles Brantley. The secondary has taken a massive hit this year.
The final game will be Rutgers on Senior Day in East Lansing. That's another winnable game against a team that has fallen short of expectations this year.
Both of these games are must-wins if Michigan State wants to make a bowl game.
I'd be surprised if Michigan State didn't go 2-0 but given the fact that the Spartans have been battered and bruised over the past month, it'll be the perfect test to see where the mental of this squad currently is. Winning both will tell us a lot about the future of this program under Jonathan Smith.
Will Aidan Chiles build off his strong showing against Illinois and close the season on a high note or will the offensive line and play-calling hold him back again?
The final two games should be wins but we'll see just how mentally tough this team is.