Michigan State Spartans
Big Ten program. One of the steepest post-CFP falls of any program in the era (comparable to Florida State). Pat Fitzgerald hired for 2026 year 1. OC Nick Sheridan. 2026 schedule: home vs. Toledo, Eastern Michigan, at Notre Dame, home vs. Nebraska, at Wisconsin, home vs. Illinois, home vs. Northwestern, at UCLA, at Michigan (Nov. 7), home vs. Washington, home vs. Oregon, at Rutgers. The entire season may hinge on the Nov. 7 game at Michigan.
Notable portal addition: Cam Edwards (RB, from UConn).
Current Show Posture
As of 2026-08-17:
Michigan State is a prove-it rebuild with a low depth margin. The show remains skeptical that Pat Fitzgerald and Nick Sheridan have supplied a modern enough offensive answer, but sees a handful of winnable defenses and a quarterback who can make “squinty” improvement plausible. The immediate standard is not a surprise title run: it is a coherent offense, better line play, and enough healthy contributors to turn the early schedule into a bowl path before the November gauntlet arrives.
Running Takes
- 2026-08-17: 2026-08-17 Pat Fitzgerald Was Logical Hire But Bad Fit for Michigan State — stabilization logic versus fit
- 2026-03-26: 2026-03-26 Michigan State Can't Seem to Fix Defensive Line — DL recruiting is the long-running gap
- 2026-05-07: 2026-05-07 Pat Fitzgerald to Michigan State Is a Stupid Hire — show's verdict on the 2026 hire
- 2026-05-07: 2026-05-07 Modern Hires Reward Risk Not Safety — the framework the hire was evaluated against
- 2026-06-25: 2026-06-25 Fallica Fades Michigan State Florida State And Arkansas — Fallica went under 4.5 because Pat Fitzgerald returns to a changed sport and a difficult schedule
Episode Appearances
- 2026-08-17 Zagriculture - Preseason Narratives to Challenge — Pat Fitzgerald hire zag
- 2026-03-26 Missing Pieces - What Your College Football Team Can't Seem To Fix
- 2026-04-16 Typotheticals - Season Scenario Vibe Checks
- 2026-05-07 May Q&A Part 2 — show's full critique of the Pat Fitzgerald hire
- 2026-06-25 Chris Fallica on College Football Bets, Portal Chaos and World Cup Fever — Fallica fade board
2026 Big Ten Preview Cycle
- 2026-08-06: 2026-08-06 Northwestern and Michigan State Need Coherent New Offenses — Fitzgerald’s offense and the roster’s lack of depth make coherent execution the immediate bar.
- 2026-08-02 Big Ten Preview Part 1 - Contender Tiers, The Big Three, Sweet Lady Schedule
- 2026-08-06 Big Ten Preview Part 3 - USC, Michigan, Penn State and Dubious Beef