This was supposed to be the year when the final icing was put on the cake, exercising the demons of the inaugural Big Ten championship game last season and all the years of “Same Old Spartans.”

This was supposed to be the year when history was made with a program-record fifth consecutive victory over the rivals from Ann Arbor.

But after falling to the No. 20 Michigan football team (5-2, 3-0) 12-10 on a game-winning field goal Saturday, the Spartans’ fourth loss in six games, this team’s relevance has been reduced to the age-old mantra “Wait till next year.”

For all the talk of how close this team has been to sitting undefeated in the Big Ten — with its three conference losses coming by a combined six points — there’s also the reality that it took major second-half comebacks to avoid unthinkable losses to Indiana and Eastern Michigan that easily could have this team winless in the conference and 2-6 overall.

The goals they’ve spent the entire season talking about no longer are in front of them. All that’s left now is damage control.

As head coach Mark Dantonio said after Saturday’s game, it’s no longer time to talk about what could have been, but rather focus on salvaging a season that’s slipping away.

That starts with remaining unified through disappointment and learning from the countless mistakes that continue to plague this team.

It’s followed by continuing to play with heart and pride, avoiding the temptation to quit as adversity and criticism surrounds from every angle.

It extends to capturing a signature victory, a defining moment, whether that’s beating Wisconsin in Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wis., for the first time in more than a decade this Saturday, or getting the program’s first win against Nebraska the following week.

Because as of right now, the moments that define this team are snapping the program’s longest winning streak over U-M, being at risk to become the first team to miss a bowl game under Dantonio and finishing the year as a team of unfulfilled potential.

The saying goes that climbing the mountain isn’t nearly as difficult as staying at its peak.
If that’s true, Dantonio and his Spartans are facing their toughest challenge since he returned to lead the program six years ago.

It’s a challenge that will test the program and the strength of the individuals who lead it.
With their lofty preseason goals revealing themselves as an unfulfilled dream, it’s time to see the leadership of this football team, how they will respond and what this squad is truly made of.