What MSU's Fitzgerald Can Prove This Weekend Against UCLA

MSU's head coach is going against someone who has done a lot more in Year 1.

Michigan State’s head coach Pat Fitzgerald, right, leaves the field after shaking hands with Northwestern’s head coach David Braun, left, after the game on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Spartans had a lot on their plate during the offseason when they had to find a new head coach to rebuild their team after the rough tenure they endured during the Jonathan Smith era, and the solution they came up with was to hire Pat Fitzgerald.

There were many other coaches on the market that would have been able to take the job, but MSU wanted Fitzgerald above all of them, and going into the season, everybody assumed it was going to be a slow year for a few big reasons.

However, there was still a good amount of hype going into the season. Since then, it has fallen short, but there have been many glimpses of greatness, and many young players are poised to become much better in the seasons to come. There is reason for optimism and pessimism.

However, there has been one coach who is absolutely blowing Fitzgerald out of the water, as he started in a similar situation but was able to do much more, and he happens to be coaching MSU's next opponent. It is Bob Chesney, head coach of the UCLA Bruins, and going against Chesney will be Fitzgerald's next chance to prove why he should be the coach to watch in upcoming seasons.

The Difference Between Fitzgerald and Chesney

Oct 17, 2026; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Michigan State Spartans head coach Pat Fitzgerald shouts after a call he did not like during the fourth quarter against the Northwestern Wildcats at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Young-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

• Both the Bruins and the Spartans did horribly last year, one team having three wins and one team having four, so no matter what, it seemed like the only place to go would be up. Chesney has taken that to a whole new level by forming a team that can go undefeated even when their starting quarterback is injured.

• He had the advantage of being able to bring over immense amounts of talent from his previous team, JMU, and some of that talent has become the best in the country, especially pertaining to the rushing game.

What Fitzgerald Can Prove

• Now Fitzgerald will have the chance to show why he was the right person to hire. Chesney is another first-year head coach in the Big Ten, and although the circumstances are different, the Bruins are 6-0 and on their way to a College Football Playoff appearance.

• Whether winning or not, against the Bruins, all that will be needed is the ability to fight even when the going gets tough, to show signs of life even when all hope seems lost, and to grit their teeth when knocked down before getting back up.