Michigan State football enters the upcoming season with many changes in place. Coach Jonathan Smith will begin his first season at the helm, which is expected to be difficult for Michigan State. It has already been an up-and-down offseason for Coach Smith, which may impact the early part of Michigan State’s season.

Coach Smith and his coaching staff have faced an uphill battle since arriving in East Lansing, causing many to believe Michigan State will not see much success this season. While Coach Smith and Michigan State eventually had a successful offseason, their roster and overall situation were among the worst situations in the Big Ten upon Coach Smith’s arrival. 

Although Michigan State has one of the most difficult schedules in the conference and in the country, it also has enough winnable games to make it to a bowl game. Michigan State undoubtedly has arguably the most difficult four-game stretch of any team in the country, but it is still possible they can string together six wins.

They play Prarie View A&M, Florida Atlantic, Rutgers, and Indiana at home and would only need to find two more wins to make it to a bowl game. That is not unrealistic for Michigan State to do in their first season under Coach Smith, considering the amount of talent Michigan State brought in via the transfer portal and Coach Smith and his coaching staff’s ability to develop players.

Still, 247Sports’ Brad Crawford is one of many who believe Michigan State will not make it to a bowl game this season. Crawford recently released his bowl projections for the upcoming season, and it appears he does not have Michigan State projected to make it to a bowl game. The lowest-rated Big Ten team usually goes to the Detroit Bowl, formerly the Quick Lane Bowl. However, Crawford projected Indiana to make it to the Detroit Bowl instead of Coach Smith and Michigan State.

If Crawford and his projections are correct, it would be the third consecutive season Michigan State has failed to make it to a bowl game. Michigan State’s last bowl appearance was a win over Pitt in the Peach Bowl in 2021. Michigan State hopes to prove Crawford and many others wrong this season.

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LANSING, Mich. (WILX) -Some state parks offer fireworks-free camping options for those needing a quieter Independence Day.

Sleepy Hollow State Park is just one of many state parks that has been named a safe haven for veterans over the Fourth of July celebration weekend, as they will not allow fireworks in the park.

“Having a fireworks-free Fourth of July celebration, especially at our DNR parks, is really important to give veterans and those with loud noise and sudden sound-triggering PTSD space to celebrate with their family in a safe, quiet environment,” said Christyn Herman with the Michigan Veteran Affairs Agency.

There are a little over 4,000 veterans in Clinton County and another 11,000 in Ingham County. Sleepy Hollow State Park is just one of eleven different state parks that will be fireworks-free zones.

“They can sound like explosions, fireworks can sound like gunfire, they can sound like many things, but it’s helpful to have these quiet spaces so they’re in a controlled area that can help them not be triggered,” Herman said.

Even when removed from a stressful situation like war, similar sounds like fireworks can trigger intense feelings such as fear, stress, anger, or sadness.

“Fourth of July used to be my favorite holiday, but it’s basically been taken over by a trauma response that I haven’t gotten control over yet,” Afghanistan veteran Hunter Garcia said.

If you or someone you know is a military veteran and is suffering from PTSD, visit the Fireworks Free Fourth webpage.

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LANSING, Mich. (WILX) – You can expect plenty of company as you head to your holiday destination.

AAA predicts a record 71 million people across the country will travel this weekend A record high number of travelers are also expected to hit the roads here in Michigan.

That number, 2.6 million Michiganders expected to travel for Independence Day. This is up from 2.3 million in 2023. And speaking of highs, gas in the state is also up in the state,

According to AAA gas prices are up 16 cents higher from last week. You could pay on average $55 for a full 15-gallon tank of gas. Once you hit the road, Michigan’s Department of Transportation is pausing construction and removing lane restrictions on 60% of projects. Travelers say even so, they’re still expecting slight delays.

“It’s about an hour and fifteen minutes I’m anticipating a little bit of traffic but super excited,” said Bree Minor who’s traveling to Indiana.

“We always anticipate traffic when going up north especially since were usually commuting on Friday’s. But we’re definitely expecting some traffic and to take it slow with closures and things like that. I’m coming from Kalamazoo so i know how bad it is over there right now, so I’m kind of anticipating the same thing,” said Morgan Gillies who’s traveling to Gladwin County.

Before you hit the road, you’ll want to check your tires, battery, and fluids. Prepare a safety kit just in case.

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