Only one more week of pain, Spartan fans. That’s right, the Michigan State vs Maryland game on Friday night will be the final game of the season for the Spartans, ending what has felt like two straight months of torture.
Michigan State hasn’t won a game since Sept. 13, and that ugly win over Youngstown State should have been a sign. This team just didn’t have the juice to compete in 2025.
Jonathan Smith still believes that he and his coaching staff can get things turned around at Michigan State, but he’s running out of time. The second-year head coach finds himself on the hot seat after losing eight straight games, and it felt like the Spartans probably should have won at least four of those. The Nebraska, Minnesota, Michigan, and Iowa losses were all very avoidable, while that loss to UCLA was one of the most inexplicable in program history.
With a competent coaching staff, Michigan State might be something like 7-4 or 8-3 right now. Unfortunately, Smith has had probably the worst season of his coaching career, making some baffling decisions throughout the course of games, leading to loss after loss.
Now, the Spartans have a chance to end the season — and potentially the Smith era — on a high note, taking on a struggling Maryland team.
While Maryland has struggled under Mike Locksley this season, the Terrapins are still ahead of the Spartans in the Big Ten standings, posting one win compared to Michigan State’s zero.
Apparently, that’s not enough to convince Vegas to favor the Terrapins. Michigan State is now the favorite to win a football game for the first time since facing UCLA in early October.
Odds courtesy of DraftKings as of Tuesday, Nov. 25.
Line: Michigan State -4
Over/Under: 48.5
Moneyline: Michigan State -180 | Maryland +150
On a “neutral” field, Michigan State is favored against a team that has actually recorded a Big Ten win this season. The Spartans have apparently shown enough in recent games to warrant being the favorite.
I’m a little shocked that Vegas thinks the Spartans will finally end this winning streak seeing as they have blown just about every game for the past two months, but they’re due.