The 17th-ranked Michigan State Spartans will make the trip out to Lincoln to take on the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Both teams are coming off a win over Michigan, with Michigan’s State’s coming a week ago, so they’ll be fully rested and ready to go in this battle of Big Ten teams.
Looking for a chance to claim first place in the legends division, the No. 21 Michigan Wolverines head to Spartan Stadium on Saturday to take on cross-state rivals, the No. 22 ranked Michigan State Spartans.
The Michigan State Spartans and their top flight defense might be all that is standing between Ohio State and a trip to the BCS Championship (I really hope not). It looks like MSU is going to be the top challenger in the Legends division but because they are so weak on offense nothing is guaranteed for this group.
Sometimes, certain things go wrong, other times, everything goes wrong.
The latter is certainly what the Purdue Boilermakers are experiencing, as the team arrives in East Lansing in search of just its second win on the season when they take on a surging Michigan Spartans on Saturday.
This game is a great contrast in styles. Indiana loves to throw the ball and has one of the most productive offenses in the nation, maybe the best in the conference, while Michigan State is all about defense and putting the clamps on you whether you like to run or throw it.
Both Michigan State and Central Michigan won their season openers and the Spartans got off to a good start beating a ranked team. Even though the Chippewas are 3-9 in each of their last 2 seasons the Spartans cannot over look them.
Well, the Cardinal are a ranked team, but they have big shoes to fill since Andrew Luck and TE Coby Fleener are gone. Josh Nunes won the QB battle, but he has not thrown a pass for Stanford since the 2010 season.
After meeting just once since the turn of the century in a 2009 NCAA tournament regional final showdown, the top-seeded Michigan State Spartans will once again meet up with the No. 4 Louisville Cardinals, this time aiming to exact a little revenge on that 1959 88-81 loss, in Thursday’s West Regional semifinals in the Valley of the Sun.
The Michigan State Spartans survived the upset bug that bit two No. 2 seeds and advanced to the third round of the West Regional’s on Saturday where they will face a St. Louis Billikens squad which rode its stingy defense to a 61-54 victory upset over Memphis on Friday night.
The Big Ten’s top dog Michigan State will look to continue their conference dominance on Tuesday, by notching its seventh straight victory with a win over the resurgent Indiana Hoosiers who have slide back into the top 25 by winning five of their last six.
The Michigan Wolverines swept the season series last year over Michigan State. Tom Izzo’s Spartans team was quite disappointing last year, but he seems to have the type of players he wants in his system this year.
The Kohl Center will be buzzing on Tuesday as No. 11 Wisconsin hosts No. 17 Michigan State in a Big Ten clash with both teams looking to get an early jump in the conference standings.
The annual classic Big Ten-SEC showdown in the Outback Bowl features Michigan State and Georgia duking it out in south Florida in the New Year.
After rolling over five consecutive opponents, the No. 23 Gonzaga Bulldogs finally met their match against a perfect Illinois squad that came into Assembly Hall and handed the Bulldogs their first loss of the season.
Michigan State is the team in control in the Big Ten Legends Division. The Spartans can’t afford a slip up, but they are one game ahead of both Michigan and Nebraska.
Indiana comes to town this weekend. The Hoosiers are 1-9 overall, and 0-6 in the Big Ten. Michigan State almost got tripped up by Minnesota a couple weeks ago. Will the Spartans be ready for this contest?
Spartan Stadium
Saturday November 19, 12:00 PM EST
NCAA Football Odds from TopBet
Moneyline: Off
College Football Spread: Michigan State -28.5 (-110) Indiana +28.5 (-110)
Over/Under: 53
Kevin Wilson took over the Indiana football program in the offseason. Very little was expected of the team this year, but even with low expectations Hoosier fans can’t be too happy with how the season has gone. Indiana has lost to North Texas and Ball State, and their only win of the year came against South Carolina State. The team did look better in a hard fought 34-20 loss at Ohio State a couple weeks ago. Indiana has had two weeks to prepare for this one so it will be interesting to see if they come out ready to go.
Tre Roberson appears set to get another start at the quarterback spot for Indiana. Roberson is a freshman who has quick feet and is more comfortable running than throwing at this point in his career. As he develops his passing game, he should become a solid signal caller. DeMarlo Belcher has been dismissed from the team, which leaves the Hoosiers without their top wideout. Defensively, the secondary has actually been a pleasant surprise. On the other hand, the rushing defense has been horrendous. Indiana is giving up 246 yards per game on the ground. Opponents are scoring 36 points per game against this defense.
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Michigan State picked up a huge win last weekend in Iowa City. The Spartans got revenge for last year’s embarrassing loss when they beat Iowa 37-21. It has been the Michigan State defense that has led the way all year long. Jerrell Worthy anchors a very tough defensive line. Worthy is expected to be a first round draft pick, and he receives a double team on nearly every play. The secondary has been a great surprise. The Spartans corners play great defense, and they have forced a lot of turnovers. Isaiah Lewis has four interceptions already this year. Michigan State is giving up just 16.5 points per game.
Kirk Cousins is the steady leader at the helm for the Spartans offense. Cousins has only thrown five interceptions in 297 passes this year. He has 16 touchdown passes and 2,249 yards through the air. Le’Veon Bell and Edwin Baker form a nice tailback tandem for the Spartans. The offensive line has been dinged up this year, but they are starting to get a little healthier. This offense hasn’t been dynamic, but they have come up with big plays when they are most needed.
Michigan State has a key battle in Evanston with Northwestern next weekend, and it wouldn’t be a big surprise if they overlook Indiana a bit here. The Hoosiers seem to be improving as the season moves along, and I think they can keep it within this big number.
Free College Football Pick: Indiana +28.5
Score Prediction: Michigan State 38 Indiana 13
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Michigan State went into Kinnick Stadium with a lot on the line last year, and they were absolutely humiliated. Iowa led 30-0 at halftime, and they went on to win 37-6.
Michigan State is now in the driver’s seat in the Big Ten Legends Division, but they must come out ready to play this Saturday against a tough Iowa squad.
Michigan State vs. Iowa
Kinnick Stadium
Saturday November 12, 12:00 PM EST
NCAA Football Odds from BetOnline
Moneyline: Off
College Football Spread: Michigan State -3 (-110) Iowa +3 (-110)
Over/Under: 46.5
Michigan State wasn’t impressive in a 31-24 win over Minnesota last weekend, but they benefited in a big way from Nebraska’s upset loss at the hands of Northwestern. The Spartans now control their own destiny, and this may well be the most difficult game on the rest of their regular season schedule. Kirk Cousins is the senior leader at quarterback for Michigan State. He gives the team a virtual coach on the field because he knows the offense so well. The Spartans are at their best when they are running the football well. Le’Veon Bell and Edwin Baker are a great one-two punch in the backfield. The offensive line has struggled with injuries this year, but they’ll need to come up big this weekend.
How have the Spartans been able to be so successful despite a less than stellar offense? Michigan State’s defense has been amazing all season. This is a unit that ranks second in the nation in total defense. Jerrell Worthy is an absolute beast along the defensive line, and he draws double-teams on a consistent basis. Isaiah Lewis leads the team with four interceptions. The Spartans are allowing just 16 points per game. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Two weeks ago Iowa suffered an extremely disappointing loss to Minnesota. Last weekend the team upset the Michigan Wolverines. Which Iowa team will show up this weekend? This Iowa team isn’t as talented as some of their recent squads, but Kirk Ferentz and this coaching staff do a very good job preparing them. James Vandenburg has quietly put up some terrific numbers this year at the quarterback spot. The first-year starter has thrown 18 touchdowns and just four interceptions. Marvin McNutt has already set a career high in receptions, and he has nine touchdown catches. The Iowa running game has been inconsistent this year. Marcus Coker is averaging 5.2 yards per carry, but he has struggled against the top defenses in the league.
The Hawkeyes defense has been mediocre this year. They are 72nd in the nation in total defense. The team has done a good job keeping the opponent out of the end zone, which has helped them allow only 22.3 points per game. The biggest disappointment in this unit has been the pass defense, which is giving up 234 yards per game through the air despite returning two veteran cover corners.
Michigan State’s offense has been hit or miss, but the defense is for real. Iowa should show up and give a great effort in front of their home crowd. Expect a hard fought defensive battle in this one.
Free College Football Pick: Under 46.5
Score Prediction: Michigan State 20 Iowa 17
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