Las Vegas did Michigan State fans a huge solid by making the Spartans a touchdown underdog. No fan base in all of college football embraces the Chicago White Sox style “second team in the region” chip on the shoulder as much as MSU does. That chip defines them.
Michigan football- it is the Evil Empire to the Spartans. This game is always the Super Bowl to State, but this year is much bigger in that ESPN College Gameday comes to Ann Arbor for this one. Just to make Sparty even more amped, they’ve been deemed huge underdogs.
The sports books have given Michigan State bulletin board material now.
TV: 3:30 EST ESPN
Michigan football preview:
I picked the Wolverines fourth in the Big Ten East (that’s not working out so well for me) in my season preview and predictions for the Chicago Tribune RedEye edition. I wrote at the time:
“Mr. Discount Khakis needs time to turn things around. However, passing effectively on the Wolverines could be harder than making an original joke about Harbaugh’s pants. Wayne Lyons could be the first cornerback selected in April. Alongside him in the secondary is Jabrill Peppers, whom college football literati have deemed the Next Big Thing.”
Then there’s cornerback Jourdan Lewis, who was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week. He scored on a 37-yard interception return in the second quarter, as Michigan absolutely obliterated a previously unbeaten Northwestern team into a million little pieces.
This Michigan football team has posted three straight shutouts for the first time since 1980.
As for Peppers he took home league freshman player of the week, as he added a game-high three pass breakups as the Wolverines held the Wildcats to 130 passing yards. The Wolverines are second nationally in passing yards allowed, giving up just 115.5 yards per game through the air.
And Jehu Chesson, whom Harbaugh described with “Just look at the face, he’s got a wonderful, wonderful face,” at Big Ten Media Day, returned the opening kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown, en route to winning league special teams player of the week. Indeed that game last week was effectively over before the national anthem.
Michigan State football preview:
It’s been said over and over, but it’s really true- wow does this team win ugly. What a bunch of really crappy wins over some really bad teams. That said, there’s nothing really wrong with that, if you get to the national title game. It’s embarrassing what MSU had to do in order to escape versus lowly Rutgers and bottom feeder Purdue.
Those wins over Western Michigan and Oregon look less and less impressive every week as well. Although it’s surprising that Michigan is such a heavy favorite in this game, it is understandable.
Again though, it’s just survive and advance. If you’re 12-0 at the end, even if it was utterly unsightly, even against the garbage teams, it still counts. #1 Ohio State hasn’t looked very impressive, and MSU will get their shot at the Buckeyes, much like they get their shot at the Wolverines this week.
I wrote in August that there’s really only three games on the schedule this season for the Spartans- this week, OSU and Oregon. Maybe Connor Cook and company will step it up versus real competition in the same manner that they come down to the dregs versus the bad opponents. We’ll see this week.
There’s no reason to think Michigan St. won’t rise up to the occasion just because they needed Rutgers to be incredibly stupid and incomprehensibly wrong in order to escape New Jersey with a victory. Yes, Purdue is a program that would be relegated to the MAC if this was European soccer, and yes, MSU barely survived by the skin of their teeth, but I still say none of the matters when they put the pads on this Saturday.
Look at 2012. Notre Dame had three or four lucky, just barely survived wins during the course of the season and made it to the national title game. Okay, maybe that’s not the best example.
Prediction: Michigan State 21, Michigan football 20
Cook certainly does not resemble a #1 overall draft pick/first quarterback off the boards come NFL Draft night. However, that’s where the scouts and draftniks have him. He’ll figure it out, someway, somehow. Despite the awe-inspiring power of Michigan’s secondary, Connor Cook will find a way.
Michigan football falls from the ranks of the unbeaten in Big Ten play.
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and sometimes writes The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. The website is also featured on News Now.
Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes to the Chicago Tribune RedEye. He also appears regularly on numerous talk shows all across the country. Catch him Tuesdays on KOZN 1620 The Zone.
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