Michigan State to buyout coach John L. Smith's contract

The roller coaster season of Michigan State has finally sealed the deal for embattled coach John L. Smith, as university officials notified the media that they would buyout the coach's contract for $1.5 million. Smith will continue coaching throughout the rest of the season but will be dismissed after the final game or postseason bowl game. It's too bad this year turned out the way it did, because the Spartans were 3-0 and had a highly ranked Notre Dame team beat handily in the fourth quarter, only to give up 16 unanswered points to the Golden Domers. From there on, the season was done, because not only had Notre Dame come back and beaten them, they broke MSU's spirit. I mean, losses to Indiana and Illinois (two bottom feeders in the Big 10) are unacceptable. If it weren't for a breakdown at Notre Dame, this could be a ranked team on the prowl.