What MSU is Playing For vs. Maryland During Lost Season

The Michigan State Spartans are finally wrapping up the 2025 season as they take on the Maryland Terrapins at Ford Field.

MSU is on an eight-game losing streak and will not play in a bowl game for the fourth consecutive season. While it would not have mattered, the Spartans had the Iowa game in hand before blowing it late in the fourth quarter.

The Terrapins are 4-7, while the Spartans are 3-8, so this game lacks much excitement. Even though it’s being played at the home of the Detroit Lions, tickets for this matchup are not being sold at the levels the programs expected.

The game has no bearing on either team’s season, as Maryland already announced Mike Locksley will return next season, and the silence on Jonathan Smith has left fans in the dark about what may come next for this program.

What is MSU playing for next Saturday night if it is not playing for a bowl game?

Spartans playing for pride

Nov 22, 2025; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Michigan State Spartans wide receiver Chrishon McCray (13) reacts after a touchdown during the third quarter against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Kinnick Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

With any football program, the final game of the season signifies the conclusion of a season full of hard work and dedication for players. They committed their lives to something bigger than themselves.

While this year did not go the way the players anticipated, they should not give up in the final game only because they did not make a bowl game. Ending the year with a victory over a gettable team will send the team out on a high note.

One player who will continue to give his all is linebacker Jordan Hall. He has flown around, made tackles, and made big plays despite the team struggling to get stops otherwise.

Hall is a prime example of what this Spartan program needs to be. He is one of the few players who has bought into being a Spartan, and he will rally his teammates to try to get a win at the end of the season.

Michigan State's quarterback Alessio Milivojevic warms up before the football game against Western Michigan on Friday, Aug. 29, 2025, in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Another player who has shown toughness throughout a lost season is quarterback Alessio Milivojevic. After an injury to Aidan Chiles, Milivojevic stepped into the starting role and has played admirably.

Despite getting hit by more than any other quarterback in the Big Ten, Milivojevic continues to get back on his feet and prepares for the next play. His toughness also signifies what this Spartan program should be about.

Not every player has bought in and contributed to winning the way Smith and Spartan fans had hoped, but a few players still know what it means to be a Spartan.

MSU is playing for pride and to retain a program identity.

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