ES Game Day: #10 Spartans vs #20 Irish

#10 MSU Spartans (2-0) vs #19/20 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (2-0).
Saturday, September 15. 8 pm.
Weather @ kickoff: CLEAR and CRISP, 64 degrees.
Line: MSU by 5-1/2.

ES PREVIEW via The Huffington Post.

Nice writeup today by the Freep, proclaiming Spartans as "Best Football in the Big Ten." Another eye-opener from LSJ about MSU's lock-down corners. Interesting take about the Spartans from the Sportsaholic.

Predictions

• ESPN/Fortuna - MSU 17-13; Subway Domer - ND 20-19; CBSDetroit/Fithian - MSU 20-10; ND Observer - MSU 27-20, MSU 28-17, ND 17-16, ND 19-14, MSU 20-13; Det News/Wojo - MSU 20-13; Examiner.com - ND 28-20
  
• ESPN/Rittenberg - MSU 17-10; ESPN/Bennett - MSU 21-17; CFN/Scout.com - MSU 27-17; CBSSports.com/Feldman - MSU 23-14; NBCSports.com - MSU 24-16;

ES sez? MSU 27-ND 13. I have been asked and have submitted a writeup about the whipping to the Huffington Post - will link to it when they post; should be no later than breakfast on Saturday morning. Pour yerself a Bloody, and point your URL over here for a skinny on the game. GO GREEN!

QB Flip Flop, MSU Favored by 41 over Montana State, Statewide Media Previews

Grinz over at Mlive predicts that Michigan State definitely has a flip-flop situation at QB, and Kirk Cousins is getting the nod to start over Keith Nichol based on Cousins paying his dues. The two are co-equals. "Cousins will get the start against Montana State out of deference to the dues he has paid to the program and Nichol will get about as much playing time. Nichol will start what is shaping up as a difficult game against Central Michigan and Cousins will go in off the bench."

The ES still can't find a line on the Michigan State - Montana State game, though our loyal poster spartanpride notes one offshore bookie has the Green as a 41-pt favorite (still can't find it). Florida was noted as a 73-point favorite over FCS/I-AA Charleston Southern by Danny Sheridan, though that line is no longer posted.

The Lansing State Journal has their annual preview, and they predict Michigan State to finish with Iowa tied for 3rd and an 8-4/5-3 record. The Freep's preview has multiple reporters picking MSU either 8-4 or 9-3, and anywhere from 2nd to 4th. The Detroit News picks MSU to finish third, with its team preview out on Thursday.

When the game kicks off, MSU will no longer be among the NCAA elite that have never scheduled out of the Division down to 1-AA/FCS. Currently, the only five NCAA teams to schedule only D1-A: Michigan State, Notre Dame, USC, UCLA and Washington.

Freep on Michigan football breaking NCAA rules

Interesting dialogue out of the Free Press on Michigan football breaking NCAA rules relating to amount of time spent on strength & conditioning in the off-season. We will see what becomes of this, but in all honesty, this part of college football has been one of the least enforced areas for years - and NCAA rules and enforcement has been lax at best. Still, while the ES is no fan of Michigan football, the question is: how much of this is with a strength coach around, and how much is "voluntary." We all know that the amount of "voluntary" time put in by football players is far in excess to anything reasonable at Michigan and everywhere else in major college footbal. How much more is Michigan beyond the norm?

Seemingly, scUM is WAY BEYOND the norm, if you read a response by ESPN's Adam Rittenberg, who asked several other players. What is amazing is if players actually signed documents not to tell the compliance director about exceeding NCAA conditioning regulations. If that's the case, the documents will turn up -- but why have them sign anything? That's about the dumbest thing I've ever heard, to put the proof of violations in writing. HAHAHAHAHAHA....

But... let's get to the real point. What IS interesting is the amount that current players are willing to talk about this. There is seemingly no love lost by several (or many) of the players and their families with Dick Rod, and this is yet another tale of the amount of issues bleeding out of Ann Arbor relating to a poor relationship between the head coach, players, and the community.

You would have never heard this under Bo or Lllloyd Carr. Simply fascinating the unhappiness.

Yes, folks, Michigan football seemingly is up the creek without a paddle - and in real trouble. This is their time of glory, and they can welcome a nice dish of scandal and deceit into their new $300 million palace next year.

The ES loves it. Hilarious, the ES is roaring in laughter.