The thought of pulling the plug on a second-year coach, especially a respected and established one like Jonathan Smith, seems absurd to many. But the money and expectations have never been higher in college football, including at a Michigan State program that has quickly lost all national relevancy. Smith was fired Sunday with a final record of 4-15.

Remember, MSU actually has made the College Football Playoff, unlike programs like USC , Florida , Miami and Texas A&M . The Spartans had an AP top-10 finish as recently as 2021, when they finished 11-2 and won the Peach Bowl after awarding then-coach Mel Tucker a record contract. Even after Tucker's tenure ended in disgrace , Michigan State aggressively plucked Smith, who briefly had Oregon State in the CFP conversation in 20

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