We haven't even reached August yet, but we're already getting award watch lists and bowl projections which means that college football is right around the corner. Michigan State football fans are hopeful that the 2025 season will yield a bowl game and some progress compared to that 5-7 campaign in 2024.
Michigan State hasn't made a bowl game since 2021 and Jonathan Smith's first season was disappointing, finishing 5-7 with a dud in the season finale against Rutgers with a postseason berth on the line.
But 2025 could be different, and some media outlets agree.
College Football News released its annual preseason bowl projections and it has the Spartans making the GameAbove Sports Bowl on Dec. 26 against Toledo.
If this bowl game doesn't sound familiar to you, that's because it's a relatively new name for the annual bowl game after Christmas at Ford Field. This used to be the Little Caesars Bowl and the Motor City Bowl, but the name rights were purchased by GameAbove Sports.
Last year, Toledo won a thriller over Pitt in six overtimes, 48-46. The last time the Big Ten won was in 2023 when Minnesota beat Bowling Green, 30-24. This bowl has Big Ten and MAC tie-ins.
This would be an intriguing matchup between one of the best teams in the MAC and a Michigan State team trying to prove it's relevant again. The projections have Toledo finishing 10-3 with a MAC title game appearance and Michigan State going 6-6.
If Aidan Chiles lives up to the hype and the offense takes that massive step like I believe it will, Michigan State could be one of the biggest surprises in the Big Ten.
The GameAbove Sports Bowl should be the lowest expectation.