EAST LANSING — On a packed elevator ride down from the top floor at Spartan Stadium, the elevator attendant thanked fans for coming to Saturday's game and quipped: “Don’t give up hope, folks. There’s always the Michigan School for the Blind. We’re only six-point underdogs.”

Then a fan asked if he had $30 million available to buy out Jonathan Smith’s contract .

This is where things stand. Barely mid-October. Just halfway through Year 2 of Smith’s tenure. And Michigan State’s football season has reached a familiar point of inevitability (which pre-dates Smith), along with a bad mix of fan anger and apathy (and jokes to soothe the pain), and a complete loss of hope. MSU’s 38-13 loss to UCLA crushed any remaining optimism .

If this season continues on the trajectory of the last two we

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