EAST LANSING – By no means is Michigan State football facing a must-win moment. Not this early in the season, not on the road, and especially not considering the parameters put forth by its TV partners .

This is a referendum on Jonathan Smith’s program, however. And a major opportunity for the Spartans to show whether they are growing toward where the second-year coach believes they can get – winning Big Ten titles and competing for the College Football Playoffs again – or stuck in a state of stagnation.

That all comes down to how competitive his team looks from start to finish.

“It’s just us, and that’s really all it is,” quarterback Aidan Chiles said Tuesday, Sept. 16. “If we go out there and we play our best game, and they come out and play better than us, then they play bett

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