Michigan State football is in the market for a new coach after firing Jonathan Smith following two losing seasons .

There are plenty of candidates on the market (as well as plenty of jobs already hiring), but one that could intrigue is former Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald.

The Wildcats lifer knows how to create sustained success within a program, taking Northwestern, his alma mater, from an intermittent winner to a perennial bowl team. (Fitzgerald was a star linebacker from 1996-98 at Northwestern.)

Then again, he took over in Evanston after Randy Walker died of a heart attack, continuing much of the rebuild accomplished by Gary Barnett.

Still, Northwestern has just five 10-win seasons in program history; Fitzgerald was the coach for three of them.

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