The Michigan State Spartans saw their in-state rival, the Michigan Wolverines, win the National Championship last year. Sour feelings have surely surrounded East Lansing, but new head coach Jonathan Smith is ready to participate in the festivities.
Michigan State hired Smith away from Oregon State in the offseason following Mel Tucker’s unceremonious but rightful exit from the program. Smith will take over a Spartans program that has seen success in recent years.
Part of the game, though, is playing Michigan and leaning into the rivalry. It sounds like the Spartans’ new head coach is ready for what’s to come.
“Love being a part of a rivalry in this state that’s passionate on both sides of it,” Smith explained via On3. “Looking forward to being a big part of it.”
Smith has experience in playing in contentious, passionate, and in-state rivalries. Oregon State’s biggest rival, of course, is the Oregon Ducks. Smith coached several Beavers teams against the Ducks in some very contentious clashes. The Beavers got one over on the Ducks back in 2022 with a performance Oregon fans surely would like to forget.
Those are the kinds of performances that MSU fans hope will happen against rival Michigan, starting as early as possible. The Wolverines lead the all-time series 73–38–5, but Michigan State is 10-6 in the last sixteen meetings.
[On3]
About Chris Novak
Chris Novak has been talking and writing about sports ever since he can remember. Previously, Novak wrote for and managed sites in the SB Nation network for nearly a decade from 2013-2022