Michigan State football: How did top coaching candidates fare in Week 6?

Michigan State football is still looking for its next head coach and here’s how the candidates fared in Week 6.

Michigan State football was on a bye in Week 6, but that didn’t mean that there was nothing to watch. This was arguably the most productive weekend for Spartan fans in a month as they got to sit back and watch potential future head coaches in action.

Some coaches were getting tested by Power Five opponents for the first time while others were dominating from start to finish.

How did the Spartans’ top coaching candidates fare in Week 6?

Mike Elko, Duke head coach

After losing Riley Leonard with an apparent ankle injury at the end of the Notre Dame loss, Mike Elko and Duke got a bye in Week 6. Fortunately, that means that Leonard gets an extra week to heal, but he likely will be out a couple of weeks, at least. It’ll be interesting to see how the Blue Devils fare without Leonard against a team like NC State this week.

Charles Huff, Marshall head coach

Speaking of NC State, Charles Huff and Marshall went down to Raleigh for a battle with the Power Five foe and they nearly came away with a big win. NC State took a late lead and never looked back, but Marshall gave Dave Doeren and the Wolfpack everything they could handle, falling 48-41. The Thundering Herd have been a fun team to watch this year, sitting at 4-1 on the season. I’m curious to see if they can win the Sun Belt. They’ll face a 4-1 Georgia State team on the road this weekend.

Lance Leipold, Kansas head coach

I’m starting to buy in more to Lance Leipold as the next head coach and although he’s up there in age, he can coach his butt off. After crumbling in the second half on the road during a Big 12 showdown with Texas, Leipold’s team bounced back as slight favorites to beat UCF by 29. The Knights were expected to give Kansas a run for its money, but the Jayhawks trounced UCF even without starting quarterback Jalon Daniels. That was just an all-around impressive bounce-back win and Kansas jumped back into the AP Top 25 at No. 23.

Jonathan Smith, Oregon State head coach

Defense stole the show for Jonathan Smith and Oregon State last week in a win over Utah, but this past weekend, the Beavers were very offensive-minded. In fact, Oregon State went on the road and dropped 52 points on Cal while giving up 40. But hey, a win’s a win, especially in the top-heavy Pac-12. Many love what Smith has done at Oregon State but I’m not so sure he’d leave his alma mater, especially since he’s made it a contender. The Beavers are currently 5-1 and ranked No. 15 in the country.

Jake Dickert, Washington State head coach

Jake Dickert has been a hot name lately but his team may have had the worst week of any candidate’s squad on this list. Washington State lost 25-17 to UCLA on the road after leading 10-9 at halftime. Cam Ward’s Heisman hopes may have been crushed during this loss as he threw two picks and the Cougars turned the ball over four times. The offense only accounted for 10 points. Not a great showing, but Washington State is still 4-1 and ranked No. 19 in the country.

Chris Klieman, Kansas State head coach

OK, so you know how I said that Dickert had the worst showing of any candidate this week? I lied. I think that award goes to Chris Klieman. Although Klieman would tell you that he’s not a candidate for the job. The reigning Big 12 champion head coach lost his second game in three weeks, this time on the road against a very mediocre Oklahoma State team on Friday night. Not a great showing.

Brian Hartline, Ohio State offensive coordinator

I’m not sure if it’s play-calling or execution that leads to all of these slow starts for Ohio State, but we’re going to give Brian Hartline the benefit of the doubt. This is more of a risky Michigan State football coaching candidate because of his lack of experience, but he’s a great recruiter and he develops elite wide receivers. His Buckeyes got off to a terrible start against Maryland, but they turned it on in the second half to win 37-17. Still, just 382 total yards and only 62 rushing on 33 attempts? Not great.

Sean Lewis, Colorado offensive coordinator

I’m not sure how much stock we should put into Sean Lewis as a legit candidate, but he’s been mentioned quite a bit. Colorado’s offensive coordinator helped engineer the game-winning drive, but his offense only accounted for 295 yards and 27 points on 72 plays against a 1-5 Arizona State team. A shaky performance for an offensive “guru”.

Urban Meyer, FOX Sports analyst

Let’s get this one out of the way. He had a great showing on the FOX Big Noon Kickoff show in Columbus, even starting the OH-IO chant for Buckeye fans. I don’t think he’s a likely candidate, but until he comes out and says “I’m not taking the job”, he’s going to remain on this list. A pipe dream, at most, right now.