Will MSU fire Jonathan Smith on Sunday? Where things stand after Penn State loss

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Michigan State dropped it's seventh straight game on Saturday night, and at what point is it time to say "enough is enough"? Michigan State Athletic Director J Batt sees the noise, and hears the cries, so when does he finally pull the plug on this thing — that's the question I'm here to answer.

Once again, and for the last time inside of Spartan Stadium in 2025, Michigan State has lost a football game. Penn State came to East Lansing and beat the Spartans down, earning a 28-10 victory.

Officially falling out of bowl contention, and still winless in the Big Ten, rock bottom keeps coming closer and closer, and it does not feel like there is an end in sight. It has been 67 years since MSU has went winless in Big Ten play, and that is a very real possibility with two games left.

Sitting at 3-7 (0-7 B1G), and as mentioned before, a bowl game is off the table, the questions surrounding Jonathan Smith's job security are more than valid. I'm here to assess the status of Smith and whether or not he'll be coaching the Spartans in Iowa City next week. Let's see what I think below…

Thoughts on Saturday's performance

Give this Spartans team credit, they have a lot of fight inside of them, and they do not quit. Despite a seven game losing streak, there is not a single game throughout that stretch that I think you can say, "this team openly quit." With that being said, the talent disparity was on full display Saturday.

Penn State just out-talented the Spartans, who gave it another strong punch on Saturday. But while the talent may not have matched up, the Spartans coaching staff did nothing to bridge the gap, especially on the offensive side of the ball (Smith's side of the ball).

Defensively, Joe Rossi is doing his absolute best to keep this thing afloat, but his unit can only do so much throughout the game, especially when the other team possesses the ball for nearly 40 minutes of gametime. An even more staggering revelation.

While the talent factor exists, and if MSU was 5-4 coming into tonight, maybe it would not be as big of a deal. But when you are coaching for your job, and you can't bridge a talent gap through scheme and game plan, there is not much defending left to do.

Where things overall stand with Smith

It just feels like the decision of Smith's job security is more of "when" it will happen, and not a "if" it will happen. With the loss to Penn State, and the Spartans failing to become bowl eligible for the fourth straight year, any chance left to save his job is over.

Over the last few weeks, Smith had chances to win games and make the case for his job to be saved, but sitting at 3-7 it doesn't feel like there are anymore opportunities to play his way into another year.

Even if the Spartans were to win the final two games of the year against Iowa and Maryland, I just do not see a pathway to sell an offseason after a lackluster 5-7 season.

Predicting Smith's future at Michigan State

As mentioned above, I would put it at a 99% chance that this marriage is over. There really isn't anything more that can be done that could strike confidence in this regime, the bowl game was the last chance at it happening, and that is officially dead.

So there lies the question of "when" it will happen. Could that be tomorrow, Nov. 16?

Now my personal opinion says yes, it should be tomorrow, and it is not fair to anyone to continue to trot Smith out there in press conferences and on the sidelines for this to be the product on the field. Let Rossi or Courtney Hawkins get the interim reigns, fire the boys up for the last two games, and let Smith get a breather before he decides what is next for his family. Smith isn't a bad guy, it just didn't work out here, and continuing this thing just feels wrong.

With my personal opinion being out there, my official prediction puts it at a 30% chance of happening tomorrow. Had the Spartans been embarrassed on Saturday, I would have said more of a 75% chance, but with the Spartans at least showing some compete, it feels like Smith could be hanging on by the final threads.

Having it at that 30% chance, my official prediction is NO he will not be fired on Sunday. I think there is a chance it *could* happen on Sunday (and I would tell you it should), it feels like he might get another week at the helm.

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This article originally appeared on Spartans Wire: Will Michigan State football fire Jonathan Smith on Sunday?

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