Various predictions for Saturday’s Michigan game
CollegeFootballNews.com’s Big Ten fearless predictions call for a Spartan victory on Saturday.
Why Michigan State might win: Outside of USC and Arizona State, is there an offense playing with more confidence than Michigan State’s? It’s humming on every cylinder averaging 594 yards and 49 points per game. The passing game gets most of the national love, but the running game is seventh in the nation averaging 272 yards per game. Wisconsin’s offense isn’t all that talented, but Brian Calhoun was able to rush for 155 yards and keep the offense moving when it had to. The Spartans have the ability to go on long, sustained drives, while it’s also able to go on a 17-point run in a blink of an eye. Michigan’s offense hasn’t gotten into a true firefight yet and hasn’t had to deal with an offense like this one, and that includes practice.
Dave Dye of the Detroit News likes the Spartans as 10-point winners in a question-and-answer session with himself.
They took a major step mentally last week, showing they could overcome a textbook letdown situation. Lesser teams do not have that type of focus in that type of situation.
Rebuilding programs have certain stages they have to go through. Tom Izzo’s basketball program had to go through some of those stages years ago. Whether you get through them determines whether you develop consistency and long-term success.
The next step for John L. Smith’s Spartans is to prove they can handle being the favorite with expectations rising rapidly around them. It has all happened so fast. Many teams struggle to make the adjustment from the underdog role. The Spartans weren’t even ranked a few weeks ago, and now they’re the favorites against U-M for the first time since 1968.
In another Detroit News article, Dave Dye (MSU) took on Angelique S. Chengelis (Michigan) in NCAA Football 2006. In the virtual matchup, Lloyd Carr’s Wolverines thrashed the Spartans 26-0.
MSU quarterback Drew Stanton, being mentioned among Heisman Trophy contenders, lost a good deal of credibility, mainly because the Michigan defense was swarming and unrelenting.
Actually, Dye just didn’t know which buttons to push. Stanton finished 8-of-15 for 67 yards.
Again, blame Dye, Spartans fans.
John Harris of CollegeFootballNews.com lists his keys to the big game and thinks the Spartans will reclaim the Paul Bunyan trophy in a 31-23 win.
Since the loss of Mike Hart in the Notre Dame game, the Michigan offense just doesn’t put fear into defenses like they did in the Rose Bowl. Breaston, okay, that horse is already beaten to death. Michigan QB Chad Henne doesn’t have the sophomore jinx, but he isn’t improving like the Michigan staff would have hoped. On the other hand, the Spartans don’t think the Cincinnati Bengals can stop them. They’re flying high with confidence and unless Ohio State’s defense shows up to shut them down on Saturday, they’ll continue to roll up points. If Drew stays healthy, it might not be this close.
CollegeFootballPoll.com, home of the Congrove Computer Rankings, lists the Wolverines as road-favorites by a single point.