Michigan State Spartans Football: You're Not Getting a New Offensive Coordinator, and You Should Feel Bad for Asking

Okay, I had to do this after seeing lots of complaints about the offensive coordinating on my Five Factors post:

This is a ridiculous question but it seems pertinent. Should MSU seek a new OC this offseason?

— The Only Colors (@TheOnlyColors) January 5, 2016

To put this into perspective, 612 people voted in this poll. That means that 214 respondents answered that MSU should look for a new offensive coordinator. Maybe my wording of the poll was a little misleading; it is possible that people voted for "Look for a new offensive coordinator" as meaning they should see who is available but not necessarily can Dave Warner and Jim Bollman.

Either way, that answer is totally nuts. And I frankly can't believe 35% of the fanbase feels that way. I realize it's still a minority, but 35% is a significant chunk.

To illustrate my point, I'm gonna use some math (shocker, I know). Here's MSU's rank in offensive FEI in the Dantonio Era, by year:

(The S&P+ trend is similar. Just trust me.)

A couple takeaways. Dave Warner and Jim Bollman inherited a total mess of an offense with no clear quarterback, no clear running back, and a wide receiving corps that was in shambles (remember the calls for Terrence Samuels' head?). They immediately returned the offense to pre-Dan Roushar levels and picked the right quarterback from the mess of a quarterback competition, despite many people (myself included) who wanted somebody else. Jeremy Langford, Tony Lippett and Bennie Fowler all became NFL draft picks. They developed Jack Conklin, who just declared early for the draft after being a preferred walk-on. Warner and Bollman were tasked with the offense compensating for the defensive losses in 2014; they responded with the best year of offense in MSU history.

If you're upset about this year in general, I don't know what to tell you. Despite no clear running back returnee or obvious #1 receiver, alongside many injuries to the offensive line and a big injury to Connor Cook, this offense posted its second best year in terms of OFEI. The gameplan against Ohio State was masterful, given Cook's absence.

Look, I get it. Getting blanked in the national semifinal on the largest stage MSU has seen in 50 years is kind of embarrassing. This MSU offense deserved better on that stage, and across the whole season there have been some questionable playcalls. There's room for the offense to improve.

Just step back for a minute though. If we had just watched, say, Iowa (bear with me) win two of the last three Big Ten Championships after a massive offensive turnaround, how would we feel about their fanbase wanting a new offensive coordinator? Objectively, I cannot believe this is even a conversation.

The guys who were given Andrew Maxwell and gave you back Connor Cook deserve the benefit of the doubt. Thankfully, Mark Dantonio values continuity. I can't wait to see Warner and Bollman back next year.