Enlightened Spartan Preview 2017-18

It's the End of the World as we
Know it, and I feel fine!

The ES is in his 18th year publishing Spartan predictions on-line! We are talking the LONGEST COLLEGE FOOTBALL BLOG in history.

The ES is partial on the Big Green this year. Check out this picture from Dantonio’s first radio show at Reno’s. Well, things are just looking up peachy at MSU. What a great year!!!! The ES invites anyone with a beating heart to look at the lovely facilities built for the Athletics Department on South Harrison.

You can’t miss it - Mark Hollis with his binoculars should keep a tight eye on the actions of our coaches, and in most proximity, Mark Dantonio. He should get his henchmen in order, and create a KGB-culture spy ring to figure out what athletes are disrespecting women on our campus - and to punish them! “Education”? Meh. When Coach D mentions “we got education” it is demeaning and empty with respect to what actually needs to be done proactive towards student development. Gimme a break.

Mark Hollis: Welcome to 1855 Spartan Plaza!!!!!
(look across west side of Breslin)

Where the hell did you go???? 

OK, now that the ES got that off his chest - how will this stained-football program fare in 2017-18? I welcome my prognosticators who are more well endowed in football lore than the ES. My queries: 1) Final record W-L; 
2) Big Ten record W-L; 
3) Bowl game??? 
4) Best Win; 
5) Worst Loss; 
6) General commentary on MSU debauchery...
Responses:

• SMIG 1) Final record 8-4; 2) Big Ten record 6-3; 3) Bowl game - Yes 4) Wisky 5) Ohio State 6) Looking forward to watching some football on Saturday. 
• KEITH 1) Ditto w ChicagoBro: 7-5. 6) team will gel but administrative heads will roll...maybe some coaches too. 
• CHICAGO BRO 1) Final record 7-5 2) Big Ten record 4-5 3) Bowl game - Yes 4) Best Win - vs Iowa 5) Worst Loss - at Minnesota 6) General commentary on MSU debauchery... off field troubles are past 
• BIG BOB 1) 6-6. 2) 4-5. 3) MSU will turn down the offer to play in the inaugural Barnyard Bowl played on the High School field in beautiful Elmore, OH. 4) Bowling Green. 5) Western Michigan. 6) Students boycott all games and only talk about upcoming hoops season. 
• JACK 1) 6-7; 2) 3-6; 3) loss @ Ford Field; 4) charges dismissed; 5) Rutgers (because I will be there, and last time I was there Dowdell was QB); 6) can it get worse that last year and the off season? 
• PAUL BEER IN AUSTRALIA 1) 12-0.
• KELLY BUTT 1) 7-6 (best case) How many fake punts ??? 25 Chances of First play...hand off to the the right..?? 100% 
• SLOTH 2) 3-6 3) Lmfao 4) The end of the season comes without any more violent crimes being committed 5) Michigan 6) This season feels like what 2003 would have felt like had BW been allowed to come back. We are the biggest joke at the college level right now, and it is only going to get worse. Coach D will be gone by January 1. 
•  RGM3 7-5. Upset v Penn St or Ohio St. MSU will have a winning record in the Big Ten. Loss to Notre Dame. Biggest win is Penn St at home. BWW Bowl against Texas Tech with a victory. MSU will finish in the Top20 in 2018-19.

Da ES:

• Is this John L Smith all over again?  Or, as the Sloth, pointed out; "what does it take to get a guy fired around here?"  OK, here's my take.   HARUMPH.  I've heard Indians, Pakistanis, Chinese, Japanese, Brazilians, Peruvians, Russians, Egyptians.  They all say the same thing. 6-6 record.  Then again, the Indians and Pakis thought I asked about cricket, and responded 264-6 wickets.  Whatever that means. 
• 1) Final record W-L: 6-6.

• 2) Big Ten record W-L: 3-6
• 3) Bowl game: BWW - I want Asian Zing. 

• 4) Best Win: Notre Dame. 

• 5) Worst Loss: Maryland (again).

• 6) General commentary on MSU debauchery... Coach D wins his job for another year. Barely. Stop the rape!!!!

Tomorrow morning for the first game prediction of the year!

Michigan State's bowl fate on Dec 6; Izzo passes Heathcote

What is the Spartans' football fate? Well, MSU's possible travels outside of the Detroit Pizza Bowl certainly improved this weekend with losses by #9 Pitt and #12 Oklahoma State, making it more likely for a pair of Big Ten teams to make it to the BCS: Ohio State and either Iowa or Joe Pa (if JoePa makes it over Iowa, it is complete robbery, with Iowa crushing the Old Man in Happy Valley earlier this year). Also, expect two other BCS at-large births to go to undefeated #5 Boise State and undefeated #4 TCU.
The only thing that could upset this ship is if Nebraska defeats Texas in the Big 12 title game. Note: If Pitt beats undefeated Cincinnati next week for the BCS bid from the Big Least, Cincy will be hung out to dry; the same with potential upsets of Oregon State over Oregon in the Pac 10, or of Clemson over Georgia Tech in the ACC - expect only one bid from either of those conferences.

Here is last week's bowl forecast from ESPN, which remains the same after this past weekend.

Assuming a Texas win over Nebraska in the Big 12 title game:

BCS Title: Ala/Fla (SEC) vs Texas (Big 12)
Fiesta: Boise St (WAC/at large) vs Iowa/Joe Pa (Big 10/at large)
Sugar: Ala/Fla (SEC/at large) vs Pitt/Cincy (Big Least)
Orange: Georgia Tech/Clemson (ACC) vs TCU (MWC/at large)
Rose: Oregon/Oregon State (Pac 10) vs Ohio State (Big 10)

Bowl Selection show is slated to be broadcast at 8 pm EST next Sunday night, Dec 6, on Fox. Everyone is still projecting a Michigan State vs Texas Tech matchup in the Alamo Bowl. If so, that would be played on January 2 at 9 pm on ESPN. And, with that spread offense, you can expect TTU will be licking its chops with a hemorrhaging, disappointing Spartan secondary.

Izzo passes Heathcote; UNC up next
And, in case you missed it, Michigan State crushed UMass last night, 106-68, to improve to 5-1 overall and give head coach Tom Izzo his 341st victory. Izzo surpassed Heathcote for most wins as a coach in the school's illustrious basketball history. Next up? Rematch of the National Title game to be played down in Chapel Hill, with a MSU-UNC tipoff on Tuesday at 9 pm on ESPN.

Is Jud in the house?

Former Spartan men's basketball coaching legend, Jud Heathcote, wears the Gonzaga blue & red as his adopted team whenever they take the hardwood in his hometown of Spokane, Washington. But, tonight, the Zags are in East Lansing to take on the #2 Michigan State Spartans. Will Jud be in the stands? Should be a barn-burner, and expect some playing time out of Raymar Morgan and Chris Allen tonight.

The Zags also have 7-0 and 7-4 players, so methinks lots of Tom Herzog and Derrick Nix tonight.

Tipoff is 8 pm on ESPN.

Anyone read Wojo's column over at the Det News? It is a thing of beauty.
"Inexhaustable Tom Izzo." Enjoy.