Mark Dantonio's team is off to its most disappointing start in his 10 seasons in East Lansing. The Spartans have lost four straight, most recently surrendering 54 points (the most ever allowed by a Dantonio-coached Michigan State team) to Northwestern.
The leaders and main movers-and-shakers from the 2015 Big Ten championship team have mostly all moved on. Many believed that Dantonio and company had built a sturdy enough foundation to at least remain a feared opponent in conference play, if not more. A slight setback seemed inevitable, but at the halfway point of the season few would have expected Michigan State to be in jeopardy of missing bowl season.