Michigan State's Week 2 bye this season no doubt put the Spartans in a tough spot, forcing them to play 11 straight weeks to end the year.

Next year, the current schedule is even worse, as MSU is set to have its bye in Week 1. Earlier this season, head coach Mark Dantonio said athletic director Mark Hollis and his staff were working on changing that, and he was asked Tuesday if there's been any progress in that regard.

"I think that's been accomplished," Dantonio said. "But I'll let them (announce it). I think they should be the ones that recognize that."

As it currently stands, Michigan State is scheduled to open its season on Sept. 9 against Bowling Green before hosting Western Michigan and Notre Dame and then starting Big Ten play against Iowa on Sept. 30. Bowling Green is set to play South Dakota in Week 1, Western Michigan is scheduled to head to USC and Notre Dame is opening the season against Temple.

Dantonio and his team learned just how tough it is to have such an early bye this week, so avoiding playing 12 straight games without a break in 2017 would be big for the Spartans.

"We've gone 11 straight weeks as coaches and as a program grinding," Dantonio said. "It takes a toll on people mentally, physically, emotionally. There are guys that have done a great job handling that, but it's tough."

(Want to stay up to date on all the latest with the Spartans? Make sure you're in the loop by signing up for our FREE Michigan State newsletter)