REPORT: Pressure Placed on MSU's Chiles in Big Ten Power Rankings

Michigan State football is still being counted out yet again this offseason, and perhaps rightfully so.

Nothing major was really done to move the needle, but maybe it wasn't necessary. Looking at a five-win program might make you say otherwise, but Michigan State's 2025 season may just come down to one person already in house.

At least that's what 247Sports' Carter Bahns seems to think. He placed the Spartans at No. 12 in his recent "Big Ten football power rankings."

"A lot rides on Aidan Chiles taking better care of the ball in 2025," Bahns wrote. "With a Big Ten-high 11 interceptions and his four lost fumbles as a first-year starter, the debut season at Michigan State was often highly frustrating.

"Jonathan Smith improved the roster around his quarterback, like he did on a perennial basis throughout his stellar tenure at Oregon State, and now it comes down to Chiles making the most of it. Sophomore Nick Marsh will help him do so as one of the top projected receivers in the conference."

Bahns isn't wrong. Frankly, there were some games last year that could have gone the other way had Chiles made some better decisions or protected the football.

Michigan State may just go as far as Chiles takes them, as the third-year quarterback has tremendous potential and is flirting with the opportunity to become one of the best quarterbacks in the conference.

As Bahns said, Smith did supply Chiles with the necessary weapons. The Spartans brought in former Kent State wideout Chrishon McCray and former Middle Tennessee State wide receiver Omari Kelly, two transfers who were first-team all-conference at their previous schools.

Those receivers joining Marsh, Alante Brown and tight end Jack Velling give Chiles plenty of options. It will be up to him to get them the ball.

Chiles himself is a weapon as well. When he takes off, he can be as dangerous as any running back and any receiver in the open field. He just needs to protect the ball and choose the right moments to bail.

Patience was something Brian Lindgren had said was an emphasis with Chiles this offseason.

"Sometimes, he was a little extreme," Lindgren said last month, "and if the first read wasn't there, he either got himself in a not a very good position where he wasn't able to get to the second and third read in his progression; he was just kind of bailing out, I think scrambling too quick and then, missed out on some opportunities that way."

If Chiles turns the corner, the Spartans could prove a lot of doubters wrong next season.

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