The wait is almost over, folks. You can really start to feel it in the air. The long-awaited season opener for Michigan State football is just five days away when the Spartans host Florida Atlantic at Spartan Stadium to open the 2024 football season.

Aside from a big win to begin the Jonathon Smith era, let's dive into a few key things I'd like to see from the Spartans to set the tone for the season.

Quarterback Aidan Chiles’ first game in East Lansing will be one of the more anticipated for a player we’ve seen in quite some time. I would rank it up there with Le’Veon Bell’s 2012 season opener vervsus Boise State where he garnered Heisman buzz that offseason. With Bell, fans had a nice sample size of what he could do, though.

While Chiles did see 100 snaps as a true freshman in 2023 at Oregon State, he merely has summer practice clips and how well he’s performing on the new college football video game to highlight what he’ll look like as a full-time starter for the Spartans — none of which give true insight for fans as to how he will perform on the gridiron in a Michigan State uniform. The matchup against FAU will be the first time the fans of the Green and White will see Chiles lining up under center in his new uniform in an actual game and in a more meaningful role as the starter. From all accounts, the confident sophomore will be ready for the moment, and he'll have some weapons around him to steady the ship in his first start.

While I do believe Chiles is — for lack of a better term — the “real deal," expectations should be tamed for this season. The former four-star recruit hasn’t played more than a few series in a row yet in his young career and will be behind an unproven offensive line (we’ll get to them). Mistakes are bound to happen. But what we should want to see from Chiles versus the Owls is playmaking ability.

The 6-foot-3, 217-pounder flashed his arm, elusiveness and speed last season as a backup at Oregon State, showing an ability to extend plays and use his physical skills to get out of bad situations — something that Spartan fans aren’t exactly used to at the position of late.

No one should be expecting Heisman numbers from the beginning with Chiles, and there will likely be mistakes and growing pains, but you would like to see a few “wow” moments from him. Whether it’s making something from nothing on a broken play or showing a nice touch on a deep pass, I want to see some of it early on. Becoming consistent as a passer and limiting mistakes will come with time.

The coaches want to maximize the time they have with him and expect to be a contender while he’s on campus. His play affects the floor and the ceiling of this team, and it will be exciting to see his fist showcase.

In the early-to-mid 2010’s, the Spartans' identity was built on having a tough-nosed defensive approach that regularly finished at the top of many statistical categories. That style of play was more physical and emphasized a man-to-man system that counted on each player to do his job. The prior coaching regime in East Lansing emphasized what could be charitably considered a “bend, don’t break” approach that would hold up at times, but far too often did in-fact break. Teams like Ohio State and Washington with elite talent at skill positions would find easy holes to expose the Spartans' defense resulting in piling on of points.

Fast forward to now, it seems like Smith and new defensive coordinator Joe Rossi are moving back towards a man-heavy model. Having this approach will come with pros and cons, like any other style, but should favor a an MSU defense with talent spread across all position groups. Ross's Minnesota defenses ranked among the top 10 in the FBS in total defense three times and also in scoring defense twice under his direction.

The zone defense the Spartans maintained the last few years was built on limiting big plays while allowing more short/intermediate plays. With Rossi’s scheme, there will be more man coverage, which typically sets up for the opposite. The backside of the defense has been a weak link for the team the last few seasons but is now filled out with depth and some veteran leadership. The linebacker group being a big strength should also bode well as the corps is rangy and can drop back in coverage.

FAU runs a spread offense that will use multiple formations, giving the Spartans a nice challenge to start their year. Owls Head Coach Tom Herman is no stranger to big games with his time at Houston and Texas, so this game shouldn't be a cake-walk by any means. For the Spartans to compete in the revamped Big Ten, they’ll have to hold their own against elite offenses. Having a good outing versus FAU would be a solid start.

It’s been years since the Spartans have had consistency across the offensive line, and inconsistency trickles down to how the entire offense functions. It’s hard to even give the unit credit for the 2021 season as Kenneth Walker III made the group look better than what it was. A large part of Michigan’s success down the road over the last three seasons has been its elite lines leading the way for how its offense wanted to play.

This position saw some turnover through the portal in the spring window with Geno VanDeMark and Ethan Boyd transferring out of the program. Luke Newman and Tanner Miller enter the fold as transfers bringing in solid experience that will solidify the interior of the line. Brandon Baldwin is likely to start at left tackle. From there, the group is young and largely unproven, but talented. As we know, injuries can happen on any given play, so they'll need to have guys ready to step in.

New Offensive Line Coach/Run Game Coordinator Jim Michalczik comes over with Smith's staff and brings 30 years of coaching experience at both the collegiate and NFL levels. Last year, he was a nominee for the 2023 Broyles Award, which honors college football’s top assistant coaches.

With new weapons on offense looking to make a splash, it’ll be important for the line group to hold its own in establishing an identity for the offense. The new system will feature both the run and pass in multiple formations which will keep the line active.

I’d like to see the run established early on versus FAU. The Owls will try to get after Chiles in his first game and make him uncomfortable. In turn, limiting sacks, especially on third downs against an FAU defense that allowed 397.3 yards per game last season (ranked 90th out of 130 teams) should be a goal.

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