The Best Path to 6+ Wins, Bowl Game for Michigan State

On this edition of the MSU Spartans Insider Podcast, we go through possible paths for the Spartans to reach bowl eligibility.

Sep 20, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Michigan State Spartans wide receiver Omari Kelly (1) runs the ball against Southern California Trojans cornerback DJ Harvey (2) during the first half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Michigan State is halfway to bowl eligibility at 3-1 just a third of the way into the season, but getting those next three wins could be tricky.

The Spartans' schedule the rest of the way includes three more ranked opponents and some tricky road games. According to ESPN's Football Power Index, Michigan State is only favored in one of its remaining eight games (vs. UCLA on Oct. 11) and has a 46.9% chance at reaching the magic number of six wins.

For this episode of the Michigan State Spartans Insider Podcast, we go over the most likely ways that MSU can reach a bowl game for the first time since 2021 and each of the Spartans' future opponents.

Watch here:

Reaching that 13th game is also a must for second-year head coach Jonathan Smith. He and his team just suffered a 45-31 setback at USC this past Saturday. Below is a partial transcript of his postgame press conference.

Jonathan Smith Post-USC Transcript

Jonathan Smith patrols the sidelines during Michigan State's game at USC on Sept. 20, 2025. | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI

SMITH: We just didn’t have enough. Credit to USC, that’s a good football team… but we didn’t have enough, at the end of the day.

Our guys, I appreciate it; we're down at halftime, went in there, regrouped. SC scores first, in the second half we're down 21 points, and the guys continued to battle, find a way to get into a seven-point game into the third quarter. But then again, we just don't have enough to finish the deal. 

Credit to them. I thought a couple of times we had forced them to a fourth down, they convert. A couple of times, the quarterback, we're around him, a chance to come on the ground, don't do it. And so they finished better than us.

Michigan State head coach Jonathan Smith speaks to the media following a 45-31 loss to USC on Sept. 20, 2025. | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI

Defensively, we've gotta find a way to play the run better throughout the game. And they did a nice job, mixed in some pressure and they were not pressuring. Credit to those guys, the way they ran the ball, that really was a big, big difference, I think, in their success.

They knew they were gonna be exposed in the pass game, but when you got both of that going, pass game and then the run game where it was. Yeah, made it tough.

Q: Do you have injury updates on Wayne Matthews III and others?

SMITH: Yeah, what I was just told quickly that going through all the thorough evaluation, took them over to the hospital, positive signs. But they were looking for confirmation on tests and things, but positive signs, that's what I was quickly told. 

Stanton Ramil, first quarter, couldn't return. And then, yeah, Quindarius (Dunnigan) and Nikai (Martinez), both of them, same play, couldn't return after that, and then Wayne. 

Michigan State QB Aidan Chiles runs with the ball against the USC Trojans during a game on Sept. 20, 2025. | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI

Keep up with all our content when you follow the official Spartan Nation page on Facebook, Spartan Nation, WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE, and be sure to share your thoughts on MSU's path to a bowl game when you join our community group, Go Green Go White, WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE. Don't forget to give us a follow on X @MSUSpartansOnSI as well.

Previous Episode: