Spartans favored by 8 over Nebraska

Here's your odds kicking off the Big Ten season for the Spartans.  Michigan State is an 8-pt favorite at home over Nebraska

MSU (-8) vs Nebraska
can you believe it:  Rutgers is favored (-3) vs Michigan
Wisconsin (-9 1/2) at Northwestern
Ohio State (-8) at Maryland
Illinois (-11 1/2) vs Purdue
Indiana (-13) vs North Texas

Not playing:  Iowa, Minnesota, Penn State

MSU drops to #10 despite whipping of Wyoming

Michigan State, with its impressive 56-14 whipping of Wyoming, was not as impressive as the UCLA   62-27 hammering of then-#15 Arizona State.   Thusly, UCLA leapfrogs the Spartans and we move down to #10.

The most recent polls...

AP Top 25
RK	TEAM	RECORD	PTS
1	Florida State (27)	4-0	1416
2	Oregon (13)	4-0	1405
3	Alabama (13)	4-0	1387
4	Oklahoma (7)	4-0	1357
5	Auburn	4-0	1272
6	Texas A&M	5-0	1206
7	Baylor	4-0	1149
8	UCLA	4-0	975
9	Notre Dame	4-0	972
10	Michigan State	3-1	944
11	Ole Miss	4-0	906
12	Mississippi State	4-0	848
13	Georgia	3-1	788
14	Stanford	3-1	643
15	LSU	4-1	636
16	USC	3-1	560
17	Wisconsin	3-1	502
18	BYU	4-0	450
19	Nebraska	5-0	445
20	Ohio State	3-1	298
21	Oklahoma State	3-1	246
22	East Carolina	3-1	237
23	Kansas State	3-1	216
24	Missouri	4-1	145
25	TCU	3-0	109

• Dropped from rankings: South Carolina 13, Arizona State 15.  Others receiving votes: Arizona State 97, South Carolina 61, Clemson 52, Arizona 43, Marshall 40, Georgia Tech 37, West Virginia 24, Arkansas 18, Maryland 5, Louisville 4, North Dakota State 3, Washington 2, North Carolina State 1, Virginia 1

Michigan State vs Wyoming photologue

Wow. The Spartans are certainly impressive, just utterly kicking Wyoming's butt up and down the field yesterday.  338 yards rushing on the day for the offense, while only giving up 98 yards on the ground to the Cowboys.  Connor Cook was especially sharp - 8/12 for 126 yards and 2 TDs - and he looks like the best QB in the conference right now.  The secondary gave up a pair of long passes - something to work on - but overall a sound game, as the 56-14 score would indicate.

What a beautiful day for football!

Connor Cook for a TD!

Yet another long drive for MSU leading to a MSU 42-7 first half lead...

ES Game Day: Spartans to skunk the Cowboys

#9 Michigan State Spartans vs Wyoming Cowboys
September 27, 12 noon
Spartan Stadium, East Lansing

Weather: 72 and sunny

Sagarin Ratings:  MSU #9, Wyoming #108
Line:  MSU favored by 32

Predictions & Previews:

• MWconnection:  MSU 38- 31
• DetNews: Charbenau, MSU 45-14; Changelis, MSU 35-10;  Wojo, 38-6; Niyo 38-13
• DetroitSportSide: MSU 43-17
• iSportsWeb: Lapthorne, MSU 52-9; Hoeppner, MSU 49-7; Squandra, MSU 48-13; Sargent, MSU 42-17; Draper, MSU 45-3
• SpartanNation: MSU 41-10
• TheOnlyColors:  11 prognosticators all pick MSU by average score of 38-11
• LansingStateJournal: Couch, 41-13; Rexrode, 37-13; Solari, MSU 35-10; Calloway, MSU 41-10
• ESPN:  MSU 42-6
• ThePowerRank: MSU by 22.8
• CBSSportsDetroit: MSU 30-13
• Wyoming Tribune Eagle: MSU 42-10

• ES sez:  Yeee-haw!  One more tune up.  It's homecoming.  MSU 41, Wyoming 9.

MSU up to #9, favored by 32 vs Wyoming

Your Michigan State Spartans have moved up to #9 in the nation in the latest polls.  And, with an upcoming Homecoming stint against #108 Wyoming (the Cowboys sport a 3-1 record), the ES figures  we will be in great shape to move on up another notch before the Big Ten season start.

This weekend's odds:

#9 MSU (-32) vs Wyoming
Michigan (-8) vs Minnesota
Indiana (-3) vs Maryland
Wisconsin (-33 1/2) vs South Florida
Iowa (-13 1/2) at Purdue
Penn State (-10) vs Northwestern
Rutgers (-10 1/2)  vs Tulane
Ohio State (-14) vs Cincinnati
Nebraska (-17 /12) vs Illinois

Photologue: Michigan State 73, Eastern Michigan 14

Now, that was ugly.  Michigan State 73-14... The ES has gotta admit... he wuz pretty close, guessing a 62-14 MSU hammering.  Here is a brief photologue:

Not even Jesus could help out Eastern on this gorgeous Saturday... 

This was 49-0.  Still 2 minutes left in the second quarter.  My daughter says, "can I use the bathroom?  I'm bored."  The bathroom did sound more interesting... so, we left.

This was Eastern's only chance: "what a beautiful day for football!"  It was 0-0.

Just a beautiful day.  70 degrees and sunny.

Hail Hail! The Michigan Man!

The ES can't help hisself.  It's 26-10 Utah in that dump of a stadium in AA land.   Let the rant begin.

Let's be honest.

Brady Hoke is the greatest coach in the history of University of Michigan football. Hoke and his coordinators should immediately be rewarded with lifetime contracts and $1 million bonuses for their ability to put together a solid game plan in today's match against the Mighty Utes.  Methinks this Michigan football offense, with Devin "Trip-toe Through the Tulips" Gardner and the defensive scheme from Greg "Dance Around Reality" Mattison has many years of mediocrity to come.  Reward them!  Now!  What a fantastic misuse of talent!

Is this the second coming of Rich Rod?  No, this is better!  This time... this guy is a MICHIGAN MAN.

LOL.  Today, the only savior for the Michigan faithful is nature - aka lightning.  God, it must sting for them to actually feel like a Spartan the past 40 years pre-Dantonio.  Welcome to our world.

Enjoy your disaster and buy an industrial sump-pump, cause from what I see, it's going to be a shit-storm the rest of the year in Ann Arbor.

ES Game Day: Lightning or Go Home

#11 MSU Spartans (1-1) vs EMU Eagles (1-1)

Sagarin ratings: MSU #8, Eastern #197
September 20.  Noon.  BTN.
Spartan Stadium, East Lansing, MI
Capacity:  76,500
Latest Line:  Big Green by 45.

Weather:  70 and cloudy at kickoff; 40% chance of rain

Best chance for Eastern to stay in the game:  LIGHTNING.  It won't happen.  Yee haw - Bring on the Cowboys from Wyoming.

ES sez: MSU 62, Eastern 14.  And both the Roadkill and Ugly Chickens will lose.

DiNardo: "The Spartans would have won the title last year"

For all of you watching the BTN tonight on "BTN Football and Beyond" (Sept. 19 version)... Gerry DiNardo went off the charts:  "If the Playoff were in charge last year, they would have picked the Spartans after their quality win in the Big Ten Championship.  They were the best team in the country at the end of the year - and would have been a better matchup against Florida State than Auburn.  And, they would have won that game and the National Championship."

DiNardo noting this as that this year, the committee selecting the final four teams would likely pick a 1-loss Michigan State team "because the competition and (potential high-ranked) Big Ten opponent in the Title Game" gives them the cache to be in the playoff.

Nice.

Spartans a.. gulp... 45 point fave over Eastern

Wow, ES is trying to remember a 45-point favorite over anyone in his lifetime... but here comes the Eagles of Eastern Michigan, and they're bumming.

All Big Ten Odds this week:

MSU -45 vs EMU
Indiana at Missouri (-16 1/2)
Penn St (-29) vs UMass
Iowa at Pittsburgh (-4)
Maryland at Syracuse (-1 1/2)
Wisconsin (-22) vs Bowling Green
Minnesota (-7 1/2) vs San Jose St
Michigan (-6 1/2) vs Utah
Rutgers at Navy (- 4 1/2)
Illinois (-14) vs Texas St
Nebraska (-7 1/2) vs Miami (FL)
Northwestern vs N. Illinois (No Line)
Purdue vs S. Illinois (No Line)

ES Game Day: Michigan State to Shalique past Oregon

GO YOU GREEN MOTHERS!!!

The Game:
#7 MSU Spartans (1-0) vs
#3 Oregon Ducks (1-0)

Sagarin ratings: Oregon #1, MSU #10
September 6.  6:30 ET.  FOX.
Autzen Stadium, Eugene, OR
Capacity:  54,000
Latest Line:  Phil Knight by 12.

UO Claim to fame:  "Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?"

ES history in Eugene: This year, I ain't going to Oregon, so we have a chance.  God, my game memories there are bad, although my other memories are pretty good...

• 1980:  Just a pup, with the parents... Wuz there when MSU was drowning in Muddy Waters, losing to the hapless post-Dan Fouts Ducks, 7-35.  I was young and impressionable, and not impressed.
• 1998:  Took the Amtrak to Eugene from San Francisco, amazed at the new UO practice facility sporting a huge brewpub keg to celebrate its opening.  After cursing out the ill-prepared Nick Saban for being down 45-0 at half, I tore my shirt off and headed into the practice facility to anonymously pour my sorrows away.  Loss: 48-14. 

Reality for today:  DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS.  It is the loudest stadium, arena, I have ever been in. I've seen the Rose Bowl, the Final Four in Ford Field, Tears for Fears in Aachen, Jerry Reed in Fremont (MI), and The Who in Detroit... and, I heard the Sonic Boom after officials overturned the play to award our victory by Kirk Cousins' Hail Mary to Keith Nichol over Wisconsin.

But nothing is even close to as loud as Autzen.  Bring yer ear plugs.

Still, DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS.   Calhoun and the Spartan No Fly Zone will shock the Oregon coast into submission.   But, the real key to victory?  Don't be shocked when you watch the  vastly improved, efficient, and diverse Spartan offense led by Connor Cook move up and down the field against an average Oregon defense.

ES sez:  Shalique Calhoun 29, Marcus Mariota 28.

Michigan State moves up to #7

Big Green move up to #7, Ohio State moves down to #8.  I still am trying to find the time to figure out what the hell "Game Control" in ESPN's "Playoff Picture" means... but I like it at #2.

AP Top 25
RK	TEAM	RECORD	PTS
1	Florida State (46)	1-0	1456
2	Alabama (1)	1-0	1317
3	Oregon (5)	1-0	1314
4	Oklahoma (2)	1-0	1283
5	Auburn	1-0	1186
6	Georgia (2)	1-0	1114
7	Michigan State	1-0	1093
8	Ohio State	1-0	982
9	Texas A&M (2)	1-0	978
10	Baylor	1-0	962
11	UCLA	1-0	944
12	LSU (1)	1-0	926
13	Stanford	1-0	886
14	USC	1-0	729
15	Ole Miss	1-0	525
16	Notre Dame	1-0	519
17	Arizona State	1-0	431
18	Wisconsin	0-1	364
19	Nebraska	1-0	352
20	Kansas State	1-0	325
21	South Carolina	0-1	196
21	North Carolina	1-0	196
23	Clemson	0-1	164
24	Missouri	1-0	147
25	Louisville	1-0	141

• Dropped from rankings: Washington 25
• Others receiving votes: Texas 126, Oklahoma State 94, Duke 60, Florida 49, Penn State 49, Mississippi State 49, Michigan 38, TCU 29, Washington 27, BYU 21, Marshall 18, Iowa 18, Virginia Tech 17, Tennessee 14, Cincinnati 8, West Virginia 7, Texas Tech 7, Rutgers 6, Arizona 4, North Dakota State 2, Louisiana-Lafayette 1, Pittsburgh 1