After 128 years of competition, the Big Ten will commence 2024 as an 18-team mega conference. Of course, the Big Ten recently expanded west to acquire UCLA, USC, Oregon, and Washington from the PAC12, so the Big Ten Conference is now a mega conference with an incredible eighteen teams. But…

The Spartans commenced a quest for their 4th National Title on Friday night as one of four #1 seeds. In that regard, the Spartans beat #4 seed Western Michigan 5-4 to advance to the Elite 8 where the Spartans will play Michigan on Sunday (stay tuned).

As a proud Spartan Alum, and with research statistics as my guide, I look forward with great anticipation to the Jonathan Smith era because he has been a winner at every stop.

Spartan fans should be encouraged and inspired with Jonathan Smith’s, purposeful, “can do” leadership. Let’s set the table.

While Jonathon Smith’s reclamation of Spartan Football is still a work in progress, I would argue he is slowly distinguishing himself as an program builder and organizational architect.

Time will tell if Jonathon Smith can deliver Big Ten championships at Michigan State, but history tells us he is a builder, leader and winner in the likeness of Mark Dantonio.

The regular season for Spartan Football mercifully ended Friday night with a humiliating 42-0 loss to Penn State. Now, the Jonathon Smith era commences.

For all its resources, Michigan State should never be in this position, but here they are, racing for the bottom of the Big Ten.

Unless Michigan State Football is content to slide into the abyss of irrelevancy within the Big Ten’s recently formatted 18 team “Super Conference”, then it can’t afford to misfire on hiring its next Head Football Coach.

Does Alan Haller have the wherewithal to distinguish himself as a championship caliber AD, and build a championship caliber football program or will he be just another in a long list of AD place holders and wannabes? We’re about to see!