There’s been plenty of speculation this season regarding Mark Dantonio’s future at Michigan State. There have been some who thought the 2019 would be his final year in East Lansing.

Dantonio has reiterated many times that he plans to return to coach the Spartans in 2020, and he echoed similar sentiments following a 27-21 win over Wake Forest in the Pinstripe Bowl on Friday.

“I’m always excited about the future,” Dantonio said after the game. “I’m always excited about the next challenge in life.”

Michigan State has finished the last two seasons with a 7-6 record, far from where Dantonio or anyone else associated with the program wants to be. Winning this game was important to finish with a mark above .500, but Dantonio says seven wins is the bare minimum for success at MSU.

He still dreams of winning B1G titles and competing for national championships.

“I can say that the bar has been raised here immensely,” Dantonio said.

After starting the year 4-1, Michigan State dropped five-straight games and fell to 4-6. The Spartans were able to close out the year with wins over Rutgers, Maryland and Wake Forest to get to 7-6 on the season.