The Hard Truth MSU and Fans Face Again

The Michigan State Spartans have dropped a seventh straight game, losing at home to the Penn State Nittany Lions, 28-10.

The Spartans will miss a fourth consecutive bowl game, and with two seasons without postseason football, Jonathan Smith’s job is most certainly in jeopardy.

Spartan fans have only wanted to see their program turn in the right direction for the first time in four years, but things have only gone downhill since the end of 2021. Smith is not a bad coach, but he might just be a bad fit at Michigan State.

Michigan State's head coach Jonathan Smith walks to the tunnel before the football game against Penn State during the first quarter on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It has not been easy being a Spartan fan over the past four seasons. After how things ended with Mel Tucker and the continued poor play from this team since Kenneth Walker III left, fans have not seen a sustained winning product since the prime days of Mark Dantonio.

Every Saturday, fans spend their afternoons hoping to see the Spartans put together a good performance and win a game, but the team often comes out flat and loses. That has been a common theme through Smith’s first two seasons in East Lansing.

More losing football in East Lansing

Nov 15, 2025; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Michigan State head coach Jonathan Smith watches his team play against Penn State from the sidelines in the third quarter at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brendan Mullin-Imagn Images | Brendan Mullin-Imagn Images

Smith is 8-14 through two years leading the Spartans, and the team will now fail to reach a bowl game for a second consecutive season. When other Big Ten programs are thriving, the Spartans are falling closer to the bottom of the conference.

Smith knows the current college football landscape, so utilizing the transfer portal and the NIL era has not been an issue. The influx of financial support for the program has changed, which could change with the new Athletic Director, J Batt, now in charge.

Michigan State Director of Athletics J Batt watches a play against Western Michigan form the sideline during the second half at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing on Friday, August 29, 2025. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Batt has a difficult decision to make at the end of this season. Will he move on from Smith and try to find his own coach, or invest significant funds into the program and provide Smith with the resources needed to succeed in college football today?

While money would help the program attract talent, it would be up to Smith and his staff to put that talent in a position to succeed. With how he and his assistants have performed this season, what reason would Batt have to believe MSU would improve simply by getting better players?

It might be time to move on from Smith, who has shown he cannot compete at the Big Ten level, and find a coach who knows what it takes to win, especially at Michigan State, which has tasted success at the top.

Fans are tired of watching losing football. The people in power know what winning football looks like, and their next steps will decide how successful the program will be in the immediate future.

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