Maybe it really is just an exhibition game.
After all, it doesn't count in the standings. A win or loss won't affect Michigan State in the Big Ten and it won't change the fact Pittsburgh is the champion of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
And yeah, two of the game's biggest stars — Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett and MSU running back Kenneth Walker III — have opted out and will spend their time preparing for next spring's NFL Draft.
But when No. 10 Michigan State takes the field with No. 12 Pittsburgh on Thursday night for the Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, it will be tough to convince the players on the field that the game doesn't really matter.
"A bowl game like this, it doesn't come around every single year. Not everybody can say they played in a bowl game like this," Michigan State quarterback Payton Thorne said, summarizing what he told the team after a practice this week. "To win a bowl game like this is something you can take with you and build on. We're not satisfied with just getting here. We're not just satisfied with winning this in terms of down the road, but to send your seniors out the right way, New Year's Six bowl.
"So bowl games do matter. Although people may think they don't with the playoff now, they still do. I think our team's motivated and we're looking to finish our year out the right way and get rolling into next year on a positive note."
Thorne is right about the fact these sorts of bowl games don't come around every season, at least not for Michigan State and Pittsburgh. Neither team has ever played in the Peach Bowl and for the Panthers (11-2), it's their first appearance in a New Year's Six game since the College Football Playoff began.
The Spartans (10-2) are in their third such game but first since 2015 when it played in the Cotton Bowl as one of the playoff's semifinal games. The year before, Michigan State rallied to beat Baylor in the Cotton Bowl, but since that two-year stretch, the prestige of the postseason has been lacking.
And for teams like Michigan State and Pitt — the Spartans trying to re-establish themselves as player in the Big Ten and on the national stage, the Panthers out to prove the ACC doesn't belong solely to Clemson — this game offers a chance to not only cap an impressive season but to potentially set the stage for bigger things to come.
For the Panthers, that means getting win No. 12.
"I think some bowl games you're working towards next season and maybe some young guys are doing that," said Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi, the former Michigan State defensive coordinator. "But this is about 2021. We're still in '21. This is to get win No. 12 and I think that's important to our seniors. I don't know anybody wants to hear we're working on next year, because I'm not.
"We're focused on the task at hand on Thursday night. That is the focus. ... We're locked into that."
For the Spartans, who are in year two under Mel Tucker after struggling to just two wins during the COVID-shortened 2020 season, it's about more than simply getting to 11 wins for the sixth time in program history.
"It's the finale of this season," Michigan State sophomore safety Darius Snow said. "You can either end on a good note or bad note. I use it as a chance to really jump into next year, go out there, like I said, play hard, physical, attack the ball. We play well this week, it really gave us a lot of confidence going into next year, and I think it's something we've all really been looking forward to."
Jumping into next season is exactly what Michigan State expects after performing the biggest turnaround in program history, going from two victories to 10 in one season. The expectation is to return to where Mark Dantonio had the program for several years — a perennial Big Ten contender and national player — and beyond.
Tucker has said often he believes he can win a national championship with the Spartans and it was a big part of why he signed a 10-year, $95 million contract extension in late November.
To get to that point, the Spartans will need to continue to make strides on the field. A good place to start is on the defensive side of the ball, a place Michigan State excelled when Narduzzi was around but struggled with this season, ranking last in the nation in pass defense.
"As a defensive backfield, we think we have something to prove," said senior safety Xavier Henderson, who hasn't made a final decision on whether he'll be back for one more season. "We know we have something to prove, not just to other people but to ourselves, that we can play a really solid game of football — a consistent, four-quarter game of football.
"We're here for a reason. We got guys that can make plays and it's just about going out there and doing it and executing, watching the film, taking care of your body, and getting out there making plays on the ball and tackling dudes. So, we're excited that it's another opportunity, another challenge that we want to take full advantage of."
Similar momentum is expected on offense where Michigan State will adjust to life without Walker but will have Thorne back potentially on the cusp of greatness with weapons like Jayden Reed and Jalen Nailor at his disposal.
"The expectations for him are going to be high and they're going to be high for me and high from our organization," offensive coordinator Jay Johnson said. "But I think that's the way Payton would want it. So I'm really excited about him and where he's at and his evolvement as we've come through and developed. I'll challenge him because there's still some pieces we have to improve, but I think it's going to be exciting to see him in the future, and I definitely feel he will take on a little bit different role."
First, however, comes Thursday's game with Michigan State looking to win a seventh bowl game in its last nine appearances.
"(We're) looking to close the year out the right way and send our seniors out the right way as well," Thorne said, "and then also gain momentum moving into next year. I think that we have shown a lot of progress from last year to this year and really from the last few years, honestly, offensively.
"We're looking to build on that this week and finish the year out the right way."
