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Pat Fitzgerald says Michigan State has a ‘bag of chips’ on its shoulders entering 2026
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Pat Fitzgerald never won really big during his 17 seasons as the head coach at his alma mater, Northwestern.
But the former Northwestern star linebacker won more than he lost, going 110-101, and that was an achievement at a program like Northwestern that was hardly used to winning. But Fitzgerald broke through a bit in Evanston during his long tenure there, and now the 51-year-old is taking over at Big Ten rival Michigan State, where he hopes to do the same.
On Wednesday, Fitzgerald was the first conference coach at the podium to kick-start Day 2 of Big Ten Media Days in Chicago, and he wasn’t shy about saying the quiet part out loud to reporters when it comes to the Spartans’ goals in 2026.
“I wouldn’t say we have a chip on my shoulder,” Fitzgerald said. “I’d say we have a ‘bag of chips’ on our shoulders.”
Michigan State hasn’t won a whole lot lately, like the Spartans were previously used to doing. They struggled to a 4-8 record last season with an ugly 1-8 mark in the Big Ten.
Therein lies that “bag of chips” that Fitzgerald was boasting about during his session with reporters on Wednesday. He wants to win badly in East Lansing, and his new cast of players do, too.
As Fitzgerald tries to make an immediate impact at Michigan State, the Big Ten’s usual behemoths will be competing this fall for the conference crown. Here is what the Kalshi market currently sees for the best odds to capture the Big Ten trophy:
