Michigan State’s first season under the direction of Jonathan Smith started off decently. A 3-0 start had the Spartans in decent position to make a bowl game, but the wheels quickly came off in conference play. A close loss to Boston College preceded ugly losses to Ohio State and Oregon. After a solid win over Iowa, Michigan State lost four of its final five games by an average of 23 points. The Spartans missed a bowl game for the third straight season, the first such streak since 2004-2006.
Offensive Player to Watch: QB Aidan Chiles
In his first full season as a starting quarterback, Chiles threw for 2,415 yards, 59.