This is an unpopular take, but I'm being serious. I have long wondered if the WORST thing that could have happened to them as a program was Tommy taking over for McKay and leading them to the natty like he did. He is such a great person, such a hard worker, and such a damn good leader that everyone was so excited to anoint the Montana boy as the hero that MSU deserved that there was no going back. He was immediately the talk of ever Cat fan in the state.
They brought in Chambers, who I think was objectively better as a QB, but they couldn't bench Tommy or move him. So they had to tailor the entire offense around Tommy's strengths and limitations. Another NFL QB on the roster? Can't even let it be a competition. Tommy is the guy. Tommy goes out hurt and Chambers shines? Heck no to giving the ball to Chambers, everyone agrees that this is Tommy's team.
And what is Vigen going to do? He is too feckless to punish or first his own coordinators when they do some incredibly egregious illegal activities and put lives at risk in their community. He's not the man to stand up to his own fan base and say "hell no, I'm the coach, and I build the roster." It was the perfect storm of a wonderful kid who deserves all of the credit he gets as a person, and a coach who knows he should be running a different offense but cannot bring himself to.
Tommy Mellot as a leader is one of the best things that could have happened to MSU. Tommy Mellott as the unquestioned QB locked them in to a style of football that seems to leave it impossible for them to really throw the ball. And, sometimes, you get down by multiple touchdowns and you need to throw the ball.