Friday night will mark the second-to-last game of the regular season for Michigan State football and it's an opportunity for Jonathan Smith to prove that he's leading the program in the right direction.
Smith has stated that he can't tell fans to be patient and trust the process because he's in a profession where he's not exactly patient either. He wants immediate results and he knows that he's leading a program that expects to be contending sooner rather than later. Michigan State isn't some mediocre football program, it's a sleeping giant.
So with two games remaining, Smith has a chance to silence all doubters and critics and lead the Spartans to their first bowl game since 2021 when they went 11-2.
After a 3-0 start, Michigan State has gone 1-6 in its last seven games and while that's disappointing, there is plenty of room for growth and many players have shown signs of improvement -- namely Aidan Chiles. The first-year starting quarterback just had his best game of the season and he'll be looking to carry that over into the Purdue game.
What does Vegas think of this Friday night Big Ten matchup?
Odds courtesy of DraftKings as of Friday, Nov. 21.
Line: Michigan State -14
Over/Under: 48
Moneyline: Michigan State -550 | Purdue +410
Vegas sees a comfortable win for Michigan State on Friday night. I'm a little hesitant to buy into this line because it feels like the Spartans haven't played well offensively in a month -- dating back to the Iowa game. I can see Michigan State playing its best game in a month but the Boilermakers will be playing to save their head coach's job. This one will be closer than any of us expect against a 1-9 team.
Final score: Purdue 17, Michigan State 26