However, all of those questions have been put to rest for the defending Big Ten and Rose Bowl Champs, with No. 8 MSU no longer focused on naming a signal caller, but on reaching the first ever College Football Playoff.

“Do we talk about the national championship — we’re going to dream big,” head coach Mark Dantonio said Monday at MSU’s annual media day at Spartan Stadium. “What’s been established is that we’ve been to the Rose Bowl, and we’ve won the Rose Bowl and Big Ten Championship, that’s been established. What can we do beyond that remains to be seen and you always want to dream big, always want to go farther than you did before.”

Not all head coaches like to talk about the national championship before the season has started, but the current slate for MSU gives Dantonio reason to address the topic. The Spartans enter the 2014 campaign with the program’s highest ever preseason ranking and as one of the favorites to repeat as Big Ten champs.

MSU returns big names on both sides of the ball for a total of 15 returning starters, including Rose Bowl Offensive MVP junior quarterback Connor Cook, 2013 Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year junior defensive end Shilique Calhoun and 1,400-plus yard rusher senior running back Jeremy Langford. Mix those weapons with a completely retained coaching staff and it makes sense why some across the country have MSU contending for a spot in the College Football Playoff.

Cook will lead an offense that brings back seven of last year’s starters and understands the opportunity at hand for MSU. He said he knows the importance of handling success and adjusting to playing as one of the hunted instead of the hunter.

“We kind of had a target on our back later in the year and I think we handled that well,” Cook said. “We’re returning a lot of guys this year, a lot of guys that played last year, guys who have experience (so) we’re not going to let that affect us and we’re just going to focus on what we can control (and) that’s winning every single week.”

Cook added that his Spartans will need to reach and win the Big Ten Championship game before even getting a shot in the College Football Playoff.

Like Cook, Calhoun is taking everything just one step at a time. Calhoun, who is one of five back from last year’s nationally top ten ranked defenses, is simply focused on the first task at hand when Jacksonville State comes to town on Aug. 29.

“(The National Championship) is definitely one of our goals, but our main focus is Jacksonville State right now,” Calhoun said. “We’re taking it day-by-day, we don’t want to jump too far ahead and look past any team because we definitely need to respect every team that we play against.”