There’s no question MSU’s coaches and players will be twitching with anticipation to finally line up against a different colored jersey at 8 p.m. tonight.

Poor Western Michigan, led by 32-year-old, first-time head coach P.J. Fleck, likely is walking into a hornet’s nest under the lights. For MSU head coach Mark Dantonio, it is the first opportunity MSU has to let loose and rid itself of any lingering ill feelings from a disappointing 2012.

Spoiler alert: the Spartans should win this game decisively. And if they don’t, well, then their flaws are deeper than they appear on the surface.

Dantonio should be able to evaluate a variety of players in valuable game action, and fans will get their first glimpse at what this year’s team could be.

“We need to start building our reputation as a football team — that starts this Friday,” Dantonio said. “We’ll be ready to play.”

Obviously, no team begins the college football season a finished product. But it sort of seems like MSU still hasn’t finished drawing up the blueprint.

For example, officially naming a starting quarterback three days before the season-opener doesn’t exactly seem ideal. Even more unique is the four quarterbacks listed as co-starters on the depth chart.

We’re going to see at least one other quarterback in sophomore Connor Cook, and maybe even redshirt freshman Tyler O’Connor and freshman Damion Terry as well.

We know junior Jeremy Langford will start at running back, but how many carries will he get? How many of the other backs will see the field?

Will the wide receivers show instant improvement under the literal spotlight? How long will the starting defenders play?

“I think certainly our goal is to please fans, but my main goal isn’t to please fans,” Maxwell said, noting he wants to please his teammates and coaches with his play.

The beauty of opening the season against the Broncos is that Dantonio and the coaching staff can (and probably will) figure it out as they go.

This game basically serves as a glorified scrimmage. Because of that, you can expect to see heavy substitutions and plenty of playing time to go around.

The most important takeaway from this game will be individual performances and statistics. Judging MSU against itself should be much more telling than how the Spartans fare against an out-gunned Western Michigan, especially since they’ll likely utilize mix-and-match rotations.

Whether Maxwell and the offense look crisp — or they completely stall — we likely won’t be subjected to a full game’s work from the starting unit.

It won’t be fair to judge MSU as a whole until it plays as a whole.

Tonight could prove to be the seeds of a great team, or it could send the Spartans back to the drawing board for a couple more weeks, especially with an unknown opponent.

“Coach Fleck comes here 0?0,” Dantonio said. “…Obviously there’s some things that we don’t know about Western as they come into this game.”

Clearly there’s some things we don’t know about MSU yet, either. Let’s see what we learn tonight.

Stephen Brooks is a State News football beat reporter. He can be reached at stephen.brooks@statenews.com.