Michigan State rumors: Wazzu coach Jake Dickert denies Spartans interest

Keep your eyes on Jake Dickert as one of the hottest potential college football head coaches on the market in a few weeks. Dickert is in his second full season as the face of Washington State football. He took over midseason in 2021 after former head coach Nick Rolovich refused to comply with Washington's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Dickert has gone 14-11 (8-8) in parts of three seasons in Pullman.

Washington State has a rabid fanbase, but lacks the financial wherewithal of pretty much every other Pac-12 school other than their fellow Pacific Northwest step brother Oregon State. It is why strong head coaches like Dickert often leave smaller programs like Wazzu for bigger opportunities. After getting destroyed by Arizona last week, Dickert was asked by John Canzano about Michigan State.

As expected, Dickert would not divulge any information pertaining to him having any palpable interest in a job like the one at Michigan State, or for any other one outside of Washington State for that matter. Of course, he was never going to tell Canzano anything of that nature. This is what agents are for, and you better believe Dickert's agent's phone is ringing off the hook. He will be highly coveted.

Here is Dickert denying any real interest in the Michigan State vacancy when prompted by Canzano.

Washington State is 4-2 (1-2) on the season. While the Cougars beat Oregon State to commence Pac-12 play, they have lost their last two games to UCLA, and then badly to a surging Arizona team.

With all that aside, you have to wonder if now is the time for Dickert to leave for a better P5 job.

Washington State football: Jake Dickert denies Michigan State interest

If we look at the back half of Washington State's schedule, there are plenty of wins to be had. While at Oregon on Saturday and then at arch rival Washington at the end of the regular season for the Apple Cup seem daunting, the Cougars can go on a nice little run there in between those games. They have at Arizona State, home vs. Stanford, at Cal and then home vs. Colorado. This team will go around 8-4.

At 8-4 (5-4), there is a decent chance Washington State finishes the season ranked inside of the top 25, given how strong the Pac-12 has been. Yes, the Cougars have been a big part of that. However, Dickert potentially leaving Pullman is all about one thing and one thing only: Conference instability. The only other school that still wants to be part of the Pac-12 is their Pacific Northwest step brother.

With Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington going to the Big Ten next year, Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah joining the Big 12 and Cal and Stanford linking up with the ACC, Oregon State and Washington State have been left without a seat at the table, which has merely been a wacky game of musical chairs. They could go independent, or link up with either The American or Mountain West.

To me, I think they join the Mountain West in unison to form a fesity 14-team league. While The American has gotten more Group of Five teams to the New Year's Six, it is looking more and more like the Mountain West will be getting a team in, especially with how well Troy Calhoun's Air Force Falcons are playing. By going down a level, Wazzu and Oregon State may emerge as mid-major powerhouses.

Overall, this will come down to what Dickert wants to do. He could be building something special on The Palouse, but he could also get a higher paying job with greater resources than Wazzu could ever hope to provide. Michigan State would actually make sense for him. He is a Midwest guy and a man of great character. You factor in how much he has won at Wazzu all things considered, and there you go!

Just because Dickert said he is not talked to Michigan State does not mean he is not interested in that particular coaching vacancy. This is why you hire an agent, to have some plausible deniability.