Michigan State has a new head football coach.
Ohio State ended its losing streak against Michigan.
And the Big Ten football championship game is Saturday night.
Michigan Public sports commentator John U. Bacon joined Morning Edition host Doug Tribou to talk about those stories and more college football news.
College football this weekend:
Big Ten Championship Game - Ohio State vs. Indiana - Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis - Sat., 8:00pm
DT: Since we last spoke, Michigan State fired head football Jonathan Smith and soon after announced Pat Fitzgerald as his replacement. Fitzgerald was the head coach at Northwestern from 2006 through the 2022 season.
Let’s start with his football credentials. He played in the Big Ten for Northwestern and then went on to coach there as a coach, had a winning record overall. But in his last two seasons, the Wildcats had just four wins total. How do you see Fitzgerald fitting in in East Lansing?
John U. Bacon: On the field alone, despite the last couple seasons, I think Fitzgerald is the best hire Michigan State has made since [Mark] Dantonio, and maybe even better. I know him pretty well from my book "Fourth and Long," when I was embedded with a few programs that season back in 2012. And I came away incredibly impressed by him, by his program, by his approach.
He takes three-star players that other people often don't want, and he beats teams with better players consistently. And he set records at Northwestern for bowl wins and whatnot. So I think Michigan State is probably not going to out-recruit Michigan and Ohio State, but — like Dantonio did — Fitzgerald could go get the right guys, coach them up, and do very well in this league. So on the field, great hire.
DT: Let's turn to the off-the-field issues. Northwestern fired Fitzgerald in 2023 as part of its investigation into hazing among football players. Fitzgerald sued the school for wrongful termination. They eventually settled and the school acknowledged that it did not have proof that Fitzgerald was aware of the hazing.
That said, Fitzgerald is coming to a university that has had some significant scandals in the past several years. Former football coach Mel Tucker was fired over a sexual harassment case. And MSU sports doctor Larry Nassar is in prison for his years of sexual abuse against athletes. Fitzgerald says he was vindicated by the settlement with Northwestern.
What’s your view of this aspect of his hiring?
JUB: Complicated and uncomfortable, in short. I would say that it's a private school, so we can't know as much as we could about Michigan and Michigan State. I don't think the settlement exonerates Fitzgerald, as he claims. The school still paid out to 34 players who didn't claim hazing. They claimed sexual abuse — not by Fitzgerald, but by their teammates. And why would you pay those players if nothing had happened?
And Fitz's defense is that he did not know what was going on, which may be true, but it seems unlikely. But let's take him at his word. If that's true, then how can Michigan State be assured it's not going to happen again, if he's not aware of it the first time?
DT: Okay, another time of major transition for Michigan State football.
Let's turn to Michigan. Michigan and Ohio State met at the Big House and Ohio State and the Buckeyes came out on top 27 to 9. Michigan led the game for a while, but it is tough to win against Ohio State when you have 163 yards of offense – that is running and passing combined. What are your takeaways from the 2025 edition of “The Game?”
JUB: Well, that's about it. Doug, isn't it? It exposed Michigan for what they probably really are this year. A 7-5 team with an easy schedule. And frankly, it could have been a lot worse than 27-9. Ohio State, near the end of the game, ran a 12 minute possession — 80 yards, 20 plays, basically gobbled up an entire quarter. That's how dominant they really were.
Michigan, by the way, if they're going to be better next year, has got to make some serious changes.
"Frankly, it could have been a lot worse than 27-9."John U. Bacon on Michigan's loss to Ohio State on Nov. 27 in their annual rivalry game
DT: Michigan meanwhile finished the regular season at 9-3 and is sitting at No. 19 in the College Football Playoff rankings. The Wolverines will get a bowl invitation, but really needed a win over the Buckeyes to give themselves a chance at making the 12-team playoff.
Meanwhile, Ohio State is undefeated and so is Indiana. The Buckeyes and Hoosiers will meet in the Big Ten Championship game in Indianapolis on Saturday. Both teams are expected to be in the Playoff regardless of the outcome. Who do you like and why?
JUB: Well, I think Ohio State is going to win because they're simply the best team in college football. If you don't believe me, ask Michigan. But I like Indiana. The job Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti has done is simply amazing. Indiana for decades was the losing-est team in all of college football, and now they've rattled off two 10-win seasons. That's history for the Hoosiers. It's really quite incredible what he's done. So they are clearly the underdog and probably beloved by most of the country, but not Ohio.
Editor's notes: Some quotes in this article have been lightly edited for length and clarity. You can hear the full interview near the top of this page.
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