Mark Dantonio finished listing his lengthy set of goals for his program’s spring season Monday with an obvious one that sets the expectations for Michigan State in 2016: "back-to-back," as in back-to-back Big Ten championships.
The Spartans are coming off a trip to the College Football Playoff -- albeit an embarrassing one that Dantonio and his players have only recently put behind them -- and their second conference title in three seasons. The class largely credited with cementing Michigan State’s spot in the upper crust of college football is gone, though. This spring will provide some early clues about whether the steadiest program in the Big Ten has recruited the parts to remain a national power.