Michigan State coach Jonathan Smith talks the media on the first national signing day for college football recruits Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Eight Wins a Stretch for MSU This Season?

Originally posted on Michigan State Spartans on SI
By Tom Cavanaugh | Last updated Jul 8, 2025 3:30 PM ET

The Michigan State Spartans are preparing for a bounce-back season after going 5-7 in two of the last three seasons, including a 4-8 sandwiched in between. Eight wins seems like a daunting task with one of the tougher Big Ten schedules, but is it a complete stretch to doubt their ability to get there?

Looking at MSU's schedule, it is all about conference play and its ability to gut out some crucial victories. You might as well pack up the season by Week 3 if the Spartans do not start 3-0 against inferior non-conference competition.

Beating Western Michigan, Boston College, and Youngstown State is a necessity and should be a strong 3-0 record to start the season with. The next several weeks are going to tell if this team can reach an eight-win season.

Across the nine Big Ten games that MSU will play this year, there is not one guaranteed win on the schedule. Losses to USC, Michigan and Penn State are almost expected, so that brings the Spartans to a 3-3 record when looking at those games and the first three.

That leaves six other potential wins while the Spartans need to be on the right side of five of those contests to reach eight wins.

Beating Nebraska on the road will be a total coin flip, as both teams are equally talented and have similar expectations this season. Beating UCLA at home is not going to be an easy task after they secured former Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava.

Road games against Indiana, Minnesota and Iowa will also be tough environments to go into and win, but I would expect the Spartans to come out 2-1 in that three-game set if this team lives up to its preseason expectations.

The Spartans getting to six wins will not be the most difficult feat in the world, but being able to snub out two more victories against strong teams in the Big Ten will be a bit of a stretch. Unless we see something in the early going of the season that changes things, this team is a five or six-win squad.

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