Michigan State headed west and rescued Oregon State’s Jonathan Smith from a sinking Pac-12 boat. Indiana Googled James Madison’s Curt Cignetti and found out he wins.

Neither the Spartans nor the Hoosiers were expected to compete for anything this season, but both hires were considered smart and looked like they would pay off in the future.

However, this week, Michigan State’s opponent is breaking expectations and surprising college football.

Cignetti’s Hoosiers are 8-0 and ranked 13th in the nation (the highest they have been ranked since 2020). Cignetti brought with him several players and coaches from James Madison, where he won 86 percent of his games.

Cignetti is a case study in how to rebuild in the modern era of college football, utilizing the transfer portal to perfection and quickly turning around a historically apathetic program.

It hasn’t been the same story for Smith in East Lansing.

While the former Oregon State quarterback Beaver has had moderate success, the Spartans are coming off a loss to Michigan, causing fans to wonder if the West Coast player truly understands the state’s biggest rivalry.

Like Cignetti, Smith brought several former players and high school commitments to his new school. It hasn’t brought the same level of immediate success that Cignetti has experienced, but rather marginal weekly gains.

Smith’s loss to Michigan reduces Michigan State’s chances of making a bowl game. At the same time, Spartan fans are unsettled to see Indiana make the College Football Playoff after being in the same spot as Michigan State just a year ago.

However, comparison is the thief of joy, and Spartan fans shouldn’t compare the team’s situation to Indiana’s.

Each team rebuilds its program in different ways. Smith rebuilt an Oregon State program that lived in the Pac-12 cellar for years.

With better resources in a larger and historically more successful program, he has a chance to lead Michigan State back to the zenith of college football.

While the loss to Michigan was infuriating and almost indefensible, Michigan State Fans shouldn’t lose faith in the direction Smith is taking the show. Things are going according to plan.

Even if Indiana’s immediate success makes it seem like that’s not the case.

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