So Dantonio faced the spotlight on Monday, not as a pursuer, but as the pursued. Or in his words, the "hunted." 

"What we talk about really is "how do we handle success now," Dantonio said. "We've had success, we've gotten to a point where we've done some special things. That's really one of the biggest things we're going to have to deal with this year. I think we're a little bit more of the hunted. That's a good place to be, but it's also a little of a precarious place to be." 

Despite a few key departures for both the offense and defense, the Spartans will see a solid amount of continuity for both teams. 

The secondary, a key part of MSU's top-ranked defense last season, will see bigger contributions from senior safety Kurtis Drummond, junior corner Trae Waynes and others, who will help fill the void left by "No Fly Zone" pioneers Darqueze Dennard, who was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2014 NFL Draft, and Isaiah Lewis. 

"I don't think I've ever been in a place where we've had three players in the secondary be first-team All-Big Ten or All-Conference," Dantonio said. "So those guys, they're gifted. They know what to do. They play fast. They make plays on the ball. Tremendous asset."

The offense will return junior quarterback Connor Cook, who improved from game-to-game and whose season culminated into a Rose Bowl Offensive MVP honor, and senior running back Jeremy Langford, who eventually entrenched himself as the No. 1 running back option after splitting minutes earlier in the season. 

"It's very settling when you have a quarterback coming back with experience...that's gonna pay dividends," Dantonio said of Cook. 

Senior Tony Lippett, sophomore R.J. Shelton,  and senior Keith Mumphry are the top four wide receivers entering next season. Junior wide receiver Macgarrett Kings Jr., who was a consistent option for Cook last season, was suspended during spring camp for an undisclosed team violation and is listed under Shelton on the preseason depth chart. 

"Chase it" was a fitting mantra for the 2013-14 season, but the new mantra for the 2014 season reflects MSU's status as a more firmly established Big Ten contender  — "It starts here." 

"We get what we earned...I really don't know how to respond any differently," Dantonio said. "That's what we are, that's what we've done. We found the inches last year as I've said, we have to continue to keep finding those inches."