Enlightened Spartan 2024 Preview

Is this the official song for Michigan State this year?  "Gouge Away"?...we can use a biblical performance by the Spartans this fall. 

Well, Spartan fans.  Here we are.  2024, bring it on.  The one thing we can all agree on:  we can only go UP.   This is the 24th year the ES has published a Michigan State preview.  I'm getting old. 

It's interesting bringing in a new coach for the umpteenth time in my life (Daugherty, Stoltz, Muddy Waters, Perles, $aban, Williams, John L Smith, Dantonio, Tucker, now John A. Smith).  I'm hopeful, and as the ES first predicted on October 6 of last year, Smith would leave his alma mater for greener pastures here in East Lansing.  He's the right guy with recruiting/embracing NIL, tough running game, dynamic QB play, and a rugged defense.  It fits the "tough guy" image of Michigan State that we can only hope pays off.  At $7 million a year, we hope it pays off.

What does the depth chart tell us?  

I'm very keen on watching the line play - on offense, we've plugged the holes with two transfer seniors (including Tanner Miller from Oregon State) joining returnee Brandon Baldwin, and two red-shirt sophomores.  What's the improvement?  From the weight room? Or is it better scheming?  Or just talent?  Our pass defense has been atrocious the past five years, in part because of poor ability to get to the quarterback putting sub-standard DBs on islands and getting burned time and again.

On defense, we have four transfers (Middle Tennessee, Old Dominion, Wisconsin, Georgia Tech).  Reminds me a bit back in the day when John "Loser" Smith would plug the losses with transfers on the way to 7-5 seasons.  We can do better, and watch #7 Jordan Turner, a senior out of Wisconsin playing linebacker.  He should be damn good. 

The bonus seems we have a good kicking game (the way it used to be pre-Mel), with Eckley at punter and Jonathan Kim at FGs.  That should help the defense out.  But the offense needs to move the ball to do its part.  To that end, Aidan Chiles is an X-factor who has speed to burn and is a spot-on high level recruit who also transferred from Oregon State.  He's lucky he gets to hand the ball off to Nate Carter, who was easily Michigan State's best RB last year.  Fast, swifty, and with a punch: he reminds me of LJ Scott.  We just need the boys up front to keep the enemy at bay and open them holes.  

The first game against Florida Atlantic should be an interesting test.  Below, we have some prognostications for the season; there will be another brief post with a preview of FAU shortly.  But, this is what the pundits say about MSU this year:

1. What will be the MSU final record in 2024?

2. Will MSU go to a bowl game, and which one?

3. On a scale of 1-5 (1= bad, 5 = good), how do you think new QB Aidian Chiles will perform while making $1 Million in NIL money for the Spartans?

4. What will be the biggest win for MSU?

5. What will be the worst loss for MSU?

6. Are you going to an MSU away game? Which one and why?

7. Which musical act or song will best represent MSU football this year?

Aussie Paul:

1. 15-0

2. National Chamionship

3. 5

4. National Championship

5. N/A

6. No, too far

7. Slayer- "raining blood"

Pittsburgh Lee:

1. 6-6, maybe 7-5.  

2. Whatever the Pizza Bowl is called these days.  

3. Better than Noah Kim, worse than Connor Cook, but exciting to watch.  

4. Win: UM.  

5. Loss: OSU.  

6. Every MSU home game is an away game for me, lol.  

7. "My Erection is Over", a true punk classic.

Pontiac Keith:

I expect that we will be similar to what we were in sabans first year with us.

Mediocre or slightly above...

Lansing Cat:

We'll go 6-6, with our best win over Iowa. and our biggest loss against Michigan.  Song for the year?  "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?" by Culture Club. 

Big Bob:

1) MSU goes 6-6 this season 

2) but no bowl game. The big jump in performance comes next year 

3) Aiden Chiles will be a 3.1417 on a 1-5 scale 

4) The biggest win in terms of points will be Prayery View but in terms of importance will be Iowa 

5) The biggest loss will once again be to Ohio State 

6) No away game this year but USC would be a great trip next season!

7) Without question, “I want my balls back” by The Exciting Sounds of Savo will best represent MSU this year

The ES:

1.  7-5.

2.  Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl Presented by Gin & Juice by Dre and Snoop

3.  4 out of 5.  Not his fault if he is running for his life. 

4.  Biggest win?  Iowa

5.  Biggest loss? Ohio State

6.  Oregon, to go see my mom in Port Angeles, WA.  

7.  "Waiting Room" by Fugazi

Aug. 30: Florida Atlantic.  W.  37-17.
Sep. 7. at Maryland.  L.  20-24.
Sep 14. Prairie View A&M.  W.  48-10.
Sep. 21. at Boston College.  W. 31-20.
Sep. 28.  Ohio State.  L.  10-42.
Oct. 4.  at Oregon.  L. 17-45.

Oct. 11. BYE
Oct. 19.  Iowa.  W.  8-4.
Oct. 26.  at Michigan.  L. 16-35.
Nov. 2.  Indiana. W.  32-27.

Nov. 9. BYE
Nov. 16. at Illinois. L.  20-26.
Nov. 22.  Purdue.  W.  35-14.
Nov. 30.  Rutgers.  W.  27-21. 

ENJOY THE SEASON!  GO BIG GREEN TOUCHDOWN MACHINE!!!

Enlightened Spartan Preview 2016

The ES has been outta commission for much of the year... but we're back!  Here is the season preview by our master prognosticators, dating back to 2001...

MSU is listed in Stassen's Top 25 of all the preview magazines, at #12 - anywhere from at #4 (College FB Poll) to #24 (Sports Cruncher).  The ES is looking for a great year out of the Big Green... let's see what the prognosticators chime:

ES

• What will MSU's overall record be for 2016: 10-2
• Playoffs or bowl game (which one) for the Spartans?  Rose Bowl
• How far will MSU advance in the Big Ten?  10-2, tied with scUM for 2nd in East
• Will MSU beat sUM, OSU, and Wisky at home? Yes, No, and Yes - 2-1 out of the three
• MVP for the Big Green this year?  Riley Bullough

Furman, W; @ ND, W; Wisconsin, W; @ Indy, W; BYU, W; NW, L; @ MD, W; scUM, W; @ Illinois, W; Rutgers, W; OSU, L; Penn St, W.

GO GREEN! A step down these years is a step up in our history!  Let's see what Coach D can pull off!

CHock

• What will MSU's overall record be for 2016: 9-4
• Playoffs or bowl game (which one) for the Spartans?  Citrus Bowl, lose to Ole Miss 31-28
• How far will MSU advance in the Big Ten?  9-3, tied for 2nd with UM in B1G East
• Will MSU beat sUM, OSU, and Wisky at home?  No, No, Yes
• MVP for the Big Green this year?  Riley Bullough

My take: we dominated the last couple of years because we had absolutely ROCK STAR lines. We basically lost 5 guys off the line (3 on O, 2 on D) to the NFL and while the O line does have some depth, the D line has been completely wiped out. Aside from McDowell, the last time most of the rest of our D line will have been on the field was when they were playing High School ball. Great LBs and an improved secondary will insure we’re not dropping to MAC level, but those very close ones where we need to win in the trenches won’t go our way like they have in the last couple of years.

Furman, W, 38-6; @ ND, 17-24; Wisconsin, W 24-23; @ Indy, W 38-31; BYU, W 28-24; NW, W 28-26; @ MD, W 24-13; scUM, L, 20-24; @ Illinois, W 28-21; Rutgers, W 27-23; OSU, L 28-35; Penn St, W 27-21.

BigBob

• What will MSU's overall record be for 2016? 10-3
• Playoffs or bowl game (which one) for the Spartans? MSU will win its bowl game against some SEC chump 
• How far will MSU advance in the Big Ten (record/final standing/B1G Title)? 7-2, second place in division, no title this year 
• Will MSU beat Michigan, Ohio State, and Wisconsin at home? MSU will lose to Ohio State but beat both Wisconsin and UM at home. Jim Harbaugh will suffer a stroke and die in Spartan Stadium after shitting himself when his team is once again defeated by the Spartans on the last play of the game. Who will be the MVP for the Big Green this year? Malik McDowell

Sloth

• What will MSU's overall record be for 2016: 8-4 
• Playoffs or bowl game (which one) for the Spartans? Who cares, the Big Ten Champeenship is what matters 
• How far will MSU advance in the Big Ten? 2nd in conference 
• Will MSU beat sUM, OSU, and Wisky at home? Yes, No and No 
• MVP for the Big Green this year? My liver 

SpartyMSU

• What will MSU's overall record be for 2016: 12-1. I know originally.. I predicted 2 losses.. but the Green cool-aid is flowing..
• Playoffs or bowl game (which one) for the Spartans? Rematch against Stanford.. it’s the 2014 Rose Bowl all over again., and just like 2 years ago – The Spartans beat Stanford. I am making my plans now… Last trip to Pasadena was awesome
• How far will MSU advance in the Big Ten? Win the East and beat to Iowa OSU stumbles.. 1 more loss than the Spartans. scUM proves they are over rated, get beat early (Shades of App State)..
• Will MSU beat sUM, OSU, and Wisky at home? MSU 27 – scUM 21 (scUM loses early, prove they were over rated – but still advance to Outback Bowl); MSU 23 – TOSU 21 (Buckeyes advance to Cotton Bowl); MSU 31 – Badgers 27 (Badgers head to TaxSlayer Bowl)
• MVP for the Big Green this year? O - Tyler O’Connor; D- Malik McDowell, Riley Bulgur

The cupboard is not bare on the D-Line. True many are young, but, Demetrius Cooper and Malik are forces andill provide leadership. Grad transfer Kevin Williams will be stout, so will Bowers. Spartans will be using RS-Freshman, although they have been around a stellar program and have learned. In order for the MSU Defensive line to remain one of the best in the nation, they must step up and preform. I believe they will. Offensive will be fine.. No concerns. Bottom line, this is a very good team, underrated, and will hit the “Back2Back” goal for 2016. Sparty On !!

Furman, W; @ ND, L; Wisconsin, W; @ Indy, W; BYU, W; NW, W; @ MD, W; scUM, W; @ Illinois, W; Rutgers, W; OSU, L; Penn St, W

ChiSpartan:

• What will MSU's overall record be for 2016? 11-2 
• Playoffs or bowl game (which one) for the Spartans? Rose Bowl 
• How far will MSU advance in the Big Ten (record/final standing/B1G Title)? 8-1 
• Will MSU beat Michigan, Ohio State, and Wisconsin at home? Lose to OSU 
• Who will be the MVP for the Big Green this year? Riley Bullough 

 9/2 FURMAN W; 9/17 at ND L; 9/24 WISKY W; 10/1 at Indy W; 10/8 BYU W; 10/15 NW W; 10/22 at Maryland W; 10/29 scUM W; 11/5 at Illini W; 11/12 RUTGERS W; 11/19 OHIO ST L; 11/26 at Penn St W

Smigdiggler:

The WestCoast Spartan Reporter is the pigskin prognosticating expert who is here to tell you how the season is going to unfold for Big Green.

• What will MSU's overall record be for 2016? 12-1 
•  Playoffs or bowl game (which one) for the Spartans? Playoffs - That is what they play for now! anything else is what Harbaugh would wish for!! 
• How far will MSU advance in the Big Ten (record/final standing/B1G Title)? 9-0 Big Ten Title is only a pitstop on the Green Kool-Aid train ride. 
•  Will MSU beat Michigan, Ohio State, and Wisconsin at home? That shit Cra! I bet you a harbaugh titty twister that they sweep at home this year. 
•  Who will be the MVP for the Big Green this year? LJ Scott Loc of the century!

RELIVE THE GLORY! ES Review of MSU UM from the Peanut Barrel: Michigan State vs Indiana

RELIVE THE GLORY OF THE MICHIGAN WIN!  

#7 Michigan State vs. Indiana

Sagarin Ratings:  MSU #19, Indiana #77

Saturday, October 24, 2015.  3:30 pm ET.

Spartan Stadium, East Lansing, MI

Weather: 55 degrees, cloudy

Line:  MSU favored by 16

TV:  ABC

Here it is!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUdwLm7w8Qc

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Enlightened Spartan season preview 2015-2016

ES Season Preview for 2015-2016:

Here you will find the official Enlightened Spartan season preview for the 15th straight year.  These are from your Big Green Touchdown Machine prognosticators... and you see lots of praise for the Staters!  Stay tuned for a Western Michigan VIDEO preview tomorrow morning!  Wahoo!  Season is upon us!

ES:

• Final Record (including bowl game(s)): 15-0 
• MSU's biggest obstacle: OSU 
• Best Tailgate on the schedule: Oregon 
• Scale of 1 to 10 on the MSU Season: 10 
• MSU losses: none, but if any, @OSU 

Carter:

• Final Record (including bowl game(s)): 12 - 1 
• MSU's biggest obstacle: OSU 
• Best Tailgate on the schedule: @OSU 
• Scale of 1 to 10 on the MSU Season: 9.5 
• MSU losses: OSU @ OSU 

Chi-Spartan:

• What will be MSU's final record (including bowl games) 15-0 
• What is the biggest obstacle facing MSU? Playoff game 
• What is the best tailgate on the schedule? Indiana. It will be late in October and the campus will be beautiful, and there will be no stress for the game.
•  On a scale of 1-10 (10 being tops, 1 being lowest), how do you think this year.... THIS IS IT!!!!! (national title): 8, or in my lifetime, 10 as this is probably as close as we could ever get 

Big Bob:

• What will be MSU's final record (including bowl games): 11-2. 
• What is the biggest obstacle facing MSU? Ohio State. 
• What is the best tailgate on the schedule? Any home tailgate. 
• On a scale of 1-10 (10 being tops, 1 being lowest), how do you think this year.... THIS IS IT!!!!! (national title): 1-10 Chance of winning national title: 6.937/10. 

Rufus Polanski:

• What will be MSU's final record (including bowl games): 8 wins 4 losses, assuming 12 games, 1 bowl game win, cotton or gator. 
• What is the biggest obstacle facing MSU? Offensive solidness and consistency, they lack it.
• What is the best tailgate on the schedule? no idea 
• On a scale of 1-10 (10 being tops, 1 being lowest), how do you think this year.... THIS IS IT!!!!! (national title): Odds are always against it, in general, and the act of predicting it, just serves to make the odds more against it. But I'll say, its maybe the best chance we've had in the last 25 years, so I'll go with a 7/10 national title odds.

April Jones:

• Final Record (including bowl game(s)): 12-1 
• MSU's biggest obstacle: OSU 
• Best Tailgate on the schedule: @Michigan 
• Scale of 1 to 10 on the MSU Season: 8.5 
• MSU losses: OSU 

ES Game Day: Spartans to whip Buckeyes

#6/7/8 Michigan State Spartans vs. #11/13/14 Ohio State Buckeyes

November 8, 2014.  8 pm ET.
Spartan Stadium, East Lansing, MI
ABC-TV

Line:  Spartans by 3-1/2

Weather:  34 and c-c-c-cold.

Sagarin Ratings: MSU #11, Ohio St #15

Predictions & Previews: 

Land-Grant Holy Land (a very good read):  MSU 31-29

Eleven Warriors: MSU 27-25

ESPN: Bennett, MSU 31-28; Ward, OSU 24-23

CBSSports.com:  MSU 

CFN/Scout: MSU 27-23

Freep/Rexrode:  MSU 34-24

Freep:  Sharp, MSU 24-20; Seidel, MSU 31-28

Det News/Wojo:  MSU 27-22

Columbus Dispatch: MSU 31-24 (breakdown here)

Tom Izzo:  MSU 27-20

Cleveland Plain Dealer:  Landis, OSU 24-21; Wasserman, MSU 26-21; Livingston, OSU 31-27

MLive: no score, but NICE breakdown

The Old Raggedy Man Lou Holtz: OSU

Al.com (Alabama): MSU 38-27

Sports Illustrated:  MSU (unanimous)

ES sez:

Just like last year's Big Ten title game - MSU will score early and often... will falter a bit and allow the Buckeyes to come back.  But far too much firepower from the Spartans this year.  Bottom line: Ohio State has had a very weak schedule to date, both teams have great interior lines... but the Spartans have been more consistent and better along the line and among the playmakers. Ohio State QB JT Barrett ain't seen nothing yet - the Spartan defense will eat him alive tomorrow.  It will be fun!

MSU 34, Ohio State 24.  

Official 2013 Enlightened Spartan Preview: 8-5/4-4

WELCOME! Since 2001 - the oldest college FB blog in the Big Ten and among the oldest in the nation - this is the 13th annual Enlightened Spartan Football Preview, featuring your favorite opines: Big Bob, ChiSpartan (now Swiss Spartan), Chock, SpartyMSU, and of course the ES.

To see what the pundits think about Michigan State University football across the nation (a consensus pick at #23 and #3 in the B1G Legends), link to Chris Stassen's website and his excellent history of pre-season magazines.

Below, the ES leads off with his own discussion and predictions before guest opinions. Each of the following questions were asked of guests, and their answers follow.

1.  How many wins by MSU overall, and in the Big Ten?
2.  How many games will State win by less than 5 points?
3.  Who is better at QB?  A. Andrew Maxwell; B. Connor Cook; C. Your Mom.
4.  Will we beat ND in that dump of a town in Indiana? Score?
5.  Will we beat Michigan here in EL? Score?
6.  Is the Spartan defense better this year than last?  Why or why
not?  Name names....
7.  Other than QB, which player is the key to MSU season?
8.  If we win more than lose, name our bowl and who we shall play... why?
9.  Your overall grade (A, B, C, D, F) of Dantonio as head coach since
he took over:  and why?
10. Best spot to tailgate in East Lansing????


ENLIGHTENED SPARTAN

Coach Mark Dantonio (the Doctor, Mr. MD) has a philosophy that is true to his "game of inches" speeches.  He isn't conservative, but is rather a minimalist who plays to the margins.  His emphasis on defense keeps his Spartans in close games. His pro style offense, with a power running game, is highly dependent on playmakers in skill positions for any success.
 
As we have found out, a Cousins-Cunningham-Bell trio put plenty of points on the board and outmaneuvered errors.  Quite simply, with so much talent, the offense could find and cross the margin even if they screwed up.

But, we have also witnessed what happens with a lack of talent.  Anointed starter Andrew Maxwell, an East-West quarterback, lacks confidence, leadership, and can't make the extra play needed to win close games provided by the defense.  It did not help last year that MSU wideouts couldn't separate from defenders, and when they could, they often dropped passes. But, let the ES rate the QBs from the official roster:

1.  Damion Terry
2.  Connor Cook
3.  Your Mom
4.  Andrew Maxwell
5. Tyler O'Connor

Even with wideout errors... we need more risk from Maxwell to make plays.  Our team, and the Dantonio philosophy, depends on it.  It is a game of inches, and Spartan QB's need to get us those inches.  That takes risk and play-making ability.  Unless MSU can find that play-making ability on offense, they will have an average season.  Or, as Swiss Sparty told the ES: "really, our punter can be the MVP like when Greg Montgomery was at State.  Punt that shit so far back that it gives our offense a chance by making their offense travel such a long field against our great defense."  WARNING:  IF YOU PLAY DEFENSE FOR MSU, you may have a lot of long games this fall.

Where Dantonio has played to the margins is where he uses his bag of tricks on offense - in the right situation, at the right time.  The tricks did not work so well in 2012; a lack of confidence and talent put the opportunities to rest.  Will there be the talent in 2013?  God only knows, and hopes.

The ES #1 Prediction?  By the time the Spartans play at Notre Dame, MSU will be trailing by 20 points at halftime.  It will be then that the reality will hit the Doctor, Mr.. MD, straight in the face, and Connor Cook (or Damion Terry) will be named the starter from that point forward for the rest of the year. 

I'm with Sloth last year:  it is worth going to Spartan Stadium just to watch this great defense play.  But expect many games 17-16, 13-12, or lower in scoring.  It will be like watching the Germans and Russians fight in the trenches every single week:  hardnosed, bloody, and a shark-fight over a piece of meat.  In other words: FUN. 

1.  How many wins by MSU overall, and in the Big Ten?
ES: 8-5, 4-4.  (Wins: WMU, USF, YSU, @Iowa, Purdue, Michigan, Minny, Gator Bowl.   Losses: @ND, Indy, @Illinois, @Nebraska, @NW)

2.  How many games will State win by less than 5 points?
ES: Five.

3.  Who is better at QB?  A. Andrew Maxwell; B. Connor Cook; C. Your Mom.
ES: Your Mom.

4.  Will we beat ND in that dump of a town in Indiana? Score?
ES: No.  ND 27-13

5.  Will we beat Michigan here in EL? Score?
ES: Yes.  MSU 17-16.

6.  Is the Spartan defense better this year than last?  Why or why not?  Name names....
ES: Yes.  Because it has never been so deep and so well schooled at every position.  Can't we have them play offense, too?

7.  Other than QB, which player is the key to MSU season?
The receiving corps.  They just need to catch more balls.  Arnett,  Burbridge, and Mumprhey MUST find separation deep, and they are are key and need to hang onto the ball in tight quarters.  But, maybe the TE is just as key - we have no starters returning in this area, and as an outlet (or savior) for the QB when pressured, we need these folks to move the chains.  Look for either  #92 Andrew Gleichert (6-5, 256, Jr) or # 83 Paul Lang (6-5, 247, So) to make an impact here.

8.  If we win more than lose, name our bowl and who we shall play... why?
TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl:  MSU vs. South Carolina. 

9.  Your overall grade (A, B, C, D, F) of Dantonio as head coach since he took over:  and why?
B.  Dantonio needs to get over the hump. 

10. Best spot to tailgate in East Lansing????   Behind Morrill Hall. 

CHOCK

Another fine D will keep us in every game, but our O will be even worse than last year so I put us at a 7-5 overall record and 4-4 in the B1G.  Why will the O be worse?  No one to run the ball, the same receivers that dropped balls left and right last year and a starting QB who has already hit his ceiling (he’s a senior for crisssakes, it’s not like he’s going to take a magical Fr to So season leap).  Reports are our OL should be good.  But for us, that simply means we’ll be able to get 5 people on the field who don’t have cancer, a broken ankle, or some other injury that will force them to “retire” from football at the ripe age of 19.  But the real kicker for why our O will be worse? Absolutely no Tight-End.  When was the last time MSU did not have a decent TE?  Even in the crappiest of seasons for our O (see 2012) we could still count on a good chunk of our first downs coming from our TEs.  The only positive about the O from this year to last: at least our play calling can’t get worse.

Western_Mich, W for MSU by less than 5
So_Florida, W for MSU by less than 5
Youngstown_St, W for MSU by more than 5
at Notre_Dame, L
at Iowa, L
Indiana,  W for MSU by less than 5
Purdue, W for MSU by less than 5
at Illinois, W for MSU by less than 5
Michigan, L
at Nebraska, L
at Northwestern, L
Minnesota, W for MSU by less than 5

2.  How many games will State win by less than 5 points?

chock>>>  all of their wins, except Youngstown St., will be by less than 5 points.  When the offense can barely score more than 5 points in a game, you can’t have a lot of wins by more than 5.

3.  Who is better at QB?  A. Andrew Maxwell; B. Connor Cook; C. Your Mom.

chock>>>  chock nailed it last year when he said that we were going to miss Cousins a lot more than we realized.  We’ll still be missing a top notch QB this year and it will show in the W-L columns.  As the season goes on Connor Cook will earn the majority of reps.  In fact, the only reason Maxwell will see reps late in the year is because Cook will do some bonehead play like taking a sack for a 20 yard loss or fumbling the ball deep in our territory which will force coach to put Maxwell back in.  Our QB situation won’t improve until 2015 and Damion Terry coming off a redshirt Fresh year starts to get some serious reps.

4.  Will we beat ND in that dump of a town in Indiana? Score?

chock>>>  Unfortunately not.  We’ll lose 17-10, our offense will score no TDs (defense gets a pick 6) and we’ll long for the days of Bob Davies and Charlie Wiess.  Brian Kelly is the real deal.

5.  Will we beat Michigan here in EL? Score?

chock>>>  We lose another close one:  13-14.  UM’s D gets TD off a Conner Cook mistake and we can’t overcome that because it’s hard to win when you don’t have an offense.

6.  Is the Spartan defense better this year than last?  Why or why not?  Name names....

chock>>> About the same. Which is to say, they’ll be very good.  Want names as to why they’ll be good?  Here goes:  Jones, Gordon, Worthy, Robinson, Pickleman) … but you’re saying hey, these guys aren’t on the team any more.  They left already.  Right, that’s the beauty of it.  Nardog and Coach D are in the process of building a program based on D.  Athletes, depth, and attitude at each level.  You don’t even need to don’t need to name specific player’s names to prove why the D will be good.  They’re ALL good on D, even in the second and third strings.

7.  Other than QB, which player is the key to MSU season?

chock>>>  The as of yet unidentified starting running back and tight-end.

8.  If we win more than lose, name our bowl and who we shall play... why?

chock>>>  My pick last year (MSU vs. LS coached Arkansas in the Outback Bowl) was actually a fantastic selection.  Too bad our O wasn’t good enough to get us enough wins to make that bowl and I should have guessed a JLS coached team couldn’t get enough wins to get there … although, to my defense, they started the season ranked in the top 10.  Thankfully we don’t have JLS as HC any more.  That said, an interesting thought – how about bringing slappy back to run the offense?

This year’s pick will follow in the same vein:   MSU vs. Brett Bielema’s Arkansas Razorbacks in the Gator Bowl.

9.  Your overall grade (A, B, C, D, F) of Dantonio as head coach since he took over:  and why?

chock>>>  B+.  He gets his A when he wins the B1G Championship.

10. Best spot to tailgate in East Lansing????

chock>>>  Since I’m three time zones away from EL, I’ll be doing my tailgating and game watching at the Pittsburgh’s Pub a block and a half down the street here on the west side of SF.

SWISS SPARTAN (FORMERLY CHI SPARTAN):

1.  How many wins by MSU overall, and in the Big Ten?   7-5

2.  How many games will State win by less than 5 points?   5

3.  Who is better at QB?  A. Andrew Maxwell; B. Connor Cook; C. Your Mom.    Those are the only options?   Ugh.

4.  Will we beat ND in that dump of a town in Indiana? Score?      17-13 MSU

5.  Will we beat Michigan here in EL? Score?   13-10 MSU

6.  Is the Spartan defense better this year than last?  Why or why     

not?  Name names….   About the same, but it's not the names, it is longevity.   Lots of depth.

7.  Other than QB, which player is the key to MSU season?   Mike Sadler.   If he can kick the ball deep, allows our defense to keep them pinned back and have a lower score for our miserable QB.

8.  If we win more than lose, name our bowl and who we shall play... why?    Texas Bowl vs. Kansas State.     Who knows why!

9.  Your overall grade (A, B, C, D, F) of Dantonio as head coach since  

he took over:  and why?   B-.   Won the last two Bowl Games and took us to inaugural Big Ten Championship.    Knocks for no Rose Bowl and believing in Andrew Maxwell.

10. Best spot to tailgate in East Lansing????     Harrison Roadhouse.

BIG BOB:

1. How many wins by MSU overall, and in the Big Ten? 6, 3

2. How many games will State win by less than 5 points?  2

3. Who is better at QB? A. Andrew Maxwell; B. Connor Cook; C. Your Mom.  My mom’s mom; she got game my momma lacks.

4. Will we beat ND in that dump of a town in Indiana? Score?  No.  24-17.

5. Will we beat Michigan here in EL? Score?  No.  17-16

6. Is the Spartan defense better this year than last? Why or why not? Name names....  Yes, Pat Narduzzi, Max Bullough, Marcus Rush, Darqueze Dennard, Pat Narduzzi.  MSU can’t move the ball but it can stop you.  Unfortunately; however, the offense will be worse.

7. Other than QB, which player is the key to MSU season?  Mike Sadler, without question

8. If we win more than lose, name our bowl and who we shall play... why?  The Little Ceasars Pizza bowl in beautiful Deeetroooiiit, Michigan because we will have earned it.     

9. Your overall grade (A, B, C, D, F) of Dantonio as head coach since he took over: and why?  B-, While he embarrassed Brian Kelly badly with the fake field goal against ND he also kept an inept Offensive Coordinator around too long.  His loyalty to a QB that can’t move the team downfield is also disappointing.

10. Best spot to tailgate in East Lansing????  The Peanut Barrel

Thanks! Go BIG GREEN!

SPARTY MSU:

Happy Football Season from SpartyMSU.com…

ES sent over some questions to start us all thinking about the season. From our SpartyMSU fan opinion, from up in row 63, here you go…

The season summary is above.  We are projecting a 9 – 2 seasons, with a 6 and 2 B1G record. The closest game will be with the team from AnnArbor.  The Spartans should win, a close battle, as it always is.. I do think we will see 2 quarterbacks platooning in the game. This will be the 5th  win in the last 6 years for the Spartans, and how well be celebrating in East Lansing… Spade is a spade, we will rejoice, don’t kid yourselves… Some Spartans say, “Oh its just another win, don’t treat it any different”..  but for SpartyMSU, who grew up in AnnArbor.. it will be one more time to put a beat down on the ArrogAnt weenies from AA. Growing up as a Spartan fan in AA.. For all the crap I took for years..  I saw the faith, the truth and the light and went to MSU.. Oh yeah, I will rub it in. I can’t get enough victories over the Blue team.

Q: Who is better at QB?  A. Andrew Maxwell; B. Connor Cook; C. Your Mom

    Quarterback: My heart say Connor Cook or Tyler O'Connor, my wallet says Maxwell gets the     start. So, I will go with Maxwell. Simple, make quick reads, pitch and catch.

Q: Is the Spartan defense better this year than last?  Why or why not?  Name names....

    Spartan Defense: they are better than last year.. oh yeah baby.. They will rock. Max Bullough is a     stud. I would like to see Tyler Hoover make a big statement, been waiting since he was     recruited. Darqueze Dennard will make people think twice throwing his way. The entire unit is     solid. 

Q: Will we beat ND in that dump of a town in Indiana? Score?

    When we travel to South bend, I think we will come away with a win from under     Touchdown Jesus.. Score Prediction: 34 – 20.  The Spartan Defense will be a BEAST this game..      Spartans have an easier set up for the one.. Notre Dame will have already played at Michigan     and at Purdue, so this will be their first home game. Purdue is always an emotional game for     the Irish, and scUM will try to kick the crap out of them in AnnArbor.  2012, Spartans lost by     17  points. In 2013  the Green Machine will put pressure on the inexperience at Irish QB, and the     inept Domer running game. Spartans take the Victory Bus back to East Lansing.

Q: Other than QB, which player is the key to MSU season?

    This is an easy one.. RECIEVERS.. Catch the damn ball. For two years I have sat in the stands     slapping my head, time after time,  like John L. Smith.. I couldn’t believe the drops.. I saw so    many balls sail right threw the catchers hands.. Again, I’m a fan who sits in the stands drinking     my Coke, eating popcorn.. OMG.. Catch the damn ball this year.. PLEASE..


Q: If we win more than lose, name our bowl and who we shall play... why?

    We will probably head to the Capital One Bowl.. That’s right, another Sunny destination.. I realize     its been since 1988 since we went to Pasadena, just don’t see it in the cards this year. I have not     made hotel reservations yet, but will do so soon for Orlando.. I want to drink from the Big Green     fire hose, and say Rose Bowl or Bust.. but, that’s not reality this year..

Q: Who will we play –

beats me.. don’t care..  Some SEC puke.. Go Green !

Q: Your overall grade (A, B, C, D, F) of Dantonio as head coach since he took over:  and why?

    Easy question ES.. Dantonio gets an A+  !
    Why you ask: We were looking for a culture change, someone who was willing to recreate the     foundation of a program which could launch us back into prominence. He has done that. He has     developed a perceived culture that focuses on fundamentals, family, accountability and follow-    through. Again, this is looking at the program from row 63, but this is what I see. Also, the     recruitment is picking up, and I have learned not to rely on the “star” system you see published.     Dantonio has created and formed a solid foundation, its time in the next 3 years to take the next     step, I plan to see a Rose bowl at a minimum. Much in the mold of BBall God and Coach     Mr.     Tom Izzo, I think Dantonio is building long term structure. I’ve waited 40 some years, I can wait a     couple more.

    So to answer the question: Yes, he has exceed my expectations.. and delivered us from the     depths of 1994 through the John L. Smith era.

Q: Best spot to tailgate in East Lansing????

    Best place is with SpartyMSU and my Peeps at Guiltner Hall on Football Saturdays, the grills are     hot, MSU Alum having a great time,  the food menu is delicious, beer is cold, and this year the     MSU dance team will stop by. Harrison Roadhouse for BBall pregame festivities, and then     Dagwoods to power up for MSU Ice Hockey..     Go Green !

Hope to run in to you again this year ES !
Sparty On !

MSU Spartans ranked #17 in coaches preseason poll; five Big Ten teams in top 25

Michigan State is ranked in the top 25 along with four other Big Ten teams in the newest 2011 USA Today  preseason coaches' ballot (below).  Wisconsin is the highest ranked among the Big Ten, at #10; Nebraska at #11, Ohio State #16, Michigan State #17, and JoePa #23.

The ES went back and looked at his preseason composite poll published June 7, which looked at eight different magazines or other national polls, these polls are prominent across the web and have been prominent for years -- prior to the 21st century of advanced internet technology. FYI - you can always look at Stassen's review and accuracy of magazine preseason polls dating back to 1993 (Phil Steele is the most accurate the past 10 years; hope he is wrong and the Spartans do much better than his #28 ranking of MSU for 2011). 

Well, below I compared the ES composite to the coaches' poll... and the similarities are remarkable.  Matter of fact, 24 of the 25 teams in the ES composite are in the coaches' poll - the lone exception being Texas at #24 (ES composite had the Longhorns at #26).  The standard deviation comparing the rankings of each team in the Top 25 was only 2.94 -- meaning, on average, the teams in the coaches' poll were within less than 3 spots of the ES poll. The argument can be made the ES composite poll fairly well resembles what the coaches are reading and thinking. So, why wait until August for the USA Today coaches' poll??  Read the ES composite poll in June.  That said... here is the newest poll and comparing it to the ES composite poll. 

* = "also receiving votes," not in top 25.   Big Ten teams in bold.

USA	ES
8/3/2011	6/7/2011		ES pts
1	1	Oklahoma	1.50
2	2	Alabama	2.13
3	3	Oregon	3.38
4	4	LSU	4.38
5	8	Florida St.	9.75
6	6	Stanford	7.88
7	5	Boise St.	6.25
8	9	Oklahoma St.	10.25
9	7	Texas A&M	9.63
10	17	Wisconsin	16.75
11	13	Nebraska	14.13
12	15	South Carolina	14.88
13	16	Virginia Tech	15.00
14	14	Arkansas	14.13
15	11	TCU	13.63
16	10	Ohio St.	10.75
17	18	Michigan St.	17.25
18	12	Notre Dame	13.88
19	21	Auburn	21.50
20	20	Mississippi St.	21.00
21	25	Missouri	22.88
22	19	Georgia	19.13
23	22	Florida	22.50
24	26	Texas	23.63
25	23	Penn St.	22.63
26*	27	Arizona St.	24.38
27*	24	W. Virginia	22.63
28*	34	Utah	25.50
29*	30	Miami-Florida	25.00
30*		Iowa
31*	29	Northwestern	24.75
32*		Arizona
33*	37	Central Florida	25.88
34*	32	Michigan	25.25
35*		Air Force
36*		North Carolina
37*	33	Houston	25.38
38*	35	South Florida	25.88
39*		Hawaii
40*		Clemson
41*		Tennessee
42*	31	Southern Miss.	25.25
43*		BYU
44*		N. Carolina St.
45*		Northern Illinois
46*		Oregon St.
47*		Pittsburgh
48*		Washington
49*		Nevada
50*		Georgia Tech
	27	USC	24.13
	36	Tulsa	25.88

Enlightened Spartan college football championship weekend picks

Football Championship Weekend and the ES makes his picks (bold).

• Big Least: Cincinnati at Pittsburgh (-1). Take the Wannstashe.
• SEC: Florida (-5) at Alabama. There's just more Gators than Tide.
• Big 12: Texas (-14) at Nebraska. Too much Horns.
• Conf USA: Houston (-2) at East Carolina. Houston is ranked for Godsakes.
• ACC: Georgia Tech (pick) vs Clemson. Take that funky Yellow Jacket offense anytime in the ACC - its the closest thing to the wishbone in college football.
  

Bowl Selection on Sunday, December 6 at 8 pm EST, on Fox with the Spartans fate. Alamo Bowl is considering the recent MSU football suspensions in its evaluation of MSU or Minny to San Antonio. Well, the Alamo Bowl should reevaluate MSU - bunch of selfish dumb idiots who ruin it for the rest of their team... maybe if Alamo doesn't select MSU particularly because of the incident, then the players should vote to kick their colleagues off the team.

ES Game Day Prediction: Michigan State 23, Penn State 21

Penn State (9-2/5-2) at Michigan State (6-5/4-3)
PSU Sagarin: #21 , #84 ss; MSU Sagarin: #54, #47 ss
Saturday, November 21. 3:30 pm EST.
ABC-TV
Weather: partly sunny, 50 degrees.
Line: Penn State favored by 3.

Tickets Available

Injuries: Michigan State - RB Andre Anderson (gone), out; RB Caulton Ray (gone), out; S Roderick Jenrette (foot), out; RB Glenn Winston (knee), out. Penn State - WR/KR Chaz Powell (shoulder), out; RB Brandon Beachum (ACL), out; CB Stephon Morris (head), doubtful; OL Johnnie Troutman (calf), probable.

Common Opponents: PSU 4-1; MSU 3-2. Iowa (PSU L 10-21, MSU L 13-15); Illinois (PSU W 35-17, MSU W 24-14); Minnesota (PSU W 20-0, MSU L 34-42); Michigan (PSU W 35-10, MSU W 26-20); Northwestern (PSU W 34-13, MSU W 24-14).

ES Predictions: This will likely be a defensive battle, with a tad more offense than what we saw in the Iowa game. Michigan State is as healthy as it has been all year, particularly on the offensive and defensive interior. Penn State has started slow in games but has finished strong.

Special Teams - The JoePas have a huge loss missing Chaz Powell in its kick return game. Expect JoePa not to kick to Spartan WR/KR Keshawn Martin who has emerged as one of the best in the nation; he will allow his PSU defense to take its lumps on a shorter field against the Spartan offense.

MSU offense - Will the MSU offense execute effectively and efficiently enough to get into the endzone? It had its worst showing of the year last week and again showed its difficulty in the red zone converting TDs. Another 11-25-208 showing by Kirk Cousins won't get it done vs. JoePa. MSU's leading rusher was Martin, thanks to his 45-yard run; this also needs to change, with our running backs getting solid yardage.

MSU defense - Will it make the plays at the end to win, or will it bend-but-break and allow JoePa All-World Everything QB Darryl Clark to make the plays to get it into the BCS? Clark wasn't impressive (17-28-194, 2 INTs; 29 yards rushing) last week against a ho-hum Indiana squad. But, MSU hasn't exactly caused oodles of turnovers this year... can the Lions take advantage of an inconsistent Spartan secondary that is 10th in pass defense? Probably. But will it be enough?

Don't be surprised if this game is again decided on special teams, which favors the Big Green. This is the toughest game of the year for the ES to predict so far. What Spartan team will show up?

Halftime: Michigan State 17, Penn State 7. Final Score: Michigan State 23, Penn State 21.

Higher Frequency of Football Trifecta (MSU win, scUM & ND loss) since 2007

TRIFECTA HISTORY – Past 41 years (since 1968). Weekends: 479. Occurred: 17 times.

The ES looked back over his lifetime, 41 years long now, to see how often his weekend football Trifecta had occurred. Again, the ES Trifecta is defined as: on the same weekend for there to be a Michigan State victory AND losses by Notre Dame and Michigan. Note, on some weekends over the past four decades not all three teams played. But, again, the TRIFECTA makes for a PERFECT football weekend when all three events are combined.

Is it happening more frequently than the ES remembers in the past? A resounding YES. There IS a changing of the guard with RR in AA-land and Chuck E Weis in South Bend... and the Big Green is a beneficiary with Mark Dantonio. The statistics, plain Ws and Ls are below.

• * From 2007 – 2009, the Trifecta occurred 7 times (7 times over 36 weekends = 19.4% frequency) .
  
• * From 1968 – 2006, the Trifecta occurred 10 times (10 times over 443 weekends = 2.3% frequency).
• * Six times in the past 41 years has a weekend included either MSU defeating Michigan and ND losing, or MSU defeating ND and Michigan losing.
• * Twice has the Trifecta occurred in back-to-back weekends: the first weekends of the 2007 season, and the past two weekends.
  
• * There has not been a Trifecta three times in a row in the past 41 years. With Michigan a 13 point underdog to Ohio State, Michigan State a 3 point 'dog to Penn State, and Notre Dame a 6 point favorite hosting UConn… can it happen again?

The year-by-year break out is below.

2009 (2)
11/7. Michigan vs Purdue. L, 36-38. ND vs Navy. L, 21-23. MSU vs WMU. W, 49-14.
11/14. Michigan at Wisconsin. L, 24-45. ND at Pitt. L, 22-27. MSU vs Purdue. W, 40-37.

2008 (2)
10/11. Michigan vs Toledo. L, 10-13. ND at North Carolina. L, 24-29. MSU at N’western. W, 37-20.
11/1. Michigan at Purdue. L, 42-48. ND vs Pittsburgh. L, 33-36. MSU vs. Wisconsin. W, 25-24.

2007 (3)
9/1. Michigan vs. Appalachian St. L, 32-34. ND vs Georgia Tech. L, 3-33. MSU vs UAB. W, 55-18.
9/8. Michigan vs. Oregon. L, 7-39. ND at Penn State. L, 10-31. MSU vs BGSU. W, 28-17.
11/10. Michigan at Wisconsin. L, 21-37. ND vs Air Force. L, 24-41. MSU at Purdue. W, 48-31.

2006 – 2004: none

2003 (1)
9/20. Michigan at Oregon. L, 27-31. ND vs MSU. L, 16-22. MSU at ND. W, 22-16.

2002: none

2001 (2)
9/8. Michigan at Washington. L, 18-23. ND at Nebraska. L, 10-27. MSU vs CMU. W, 35-21.
11/3. Michigan at MSU. L, 24-26. ND vs Tennessee. L, 18-28. MSU vs Michigan. W, 26-24.

2000 - 1999: none

1998 (1)
9/12. Michigan vs Syracuse. L, 28-38. ND at MSU. L, 23-45. MSU vs ND. W, 45-23.

1997 - 1988: none

1987 (2)
10/10. Michigan at MSU. L, 11-17. ND at Pitt. L, 22-30. MSU vs Michigan. W, 17-11.
11/21. Michigan vs Ohio St. L, 20-23. ND at Penn St. L, 20-21. MSU at Wisconsin. W, 30-9.

1986-1985: none

1984 (1)
10/6. Michigan vs MSU. L, 7-19. ND vs Miami-FL. L, 13-31. MSU at Michigan. W, 19-7.

1983 (1)
9/17. Michigan at Washington. L, 24-25. ND vs. MSU. L, 23-28. MSU at ND. W, 28-23.

1982-1980: none.

1979 (1)
11/10. Michigan at Purdue. L, 21-24. ND at Tennessee. L, 18-40. MSU vs Minnesota. W, 31-17.

1978-77: none.

1976 (1)
11/6. Michigan at Purdue. L, 14-16. ND at Georgia Tech. L, 14-23. MSU vs Indiana. W, 23-0.

1975-1968: none.

ES Game Day Preview: Michigan State 32, Purdue 27

Michigan State (5-5/3-3) at Purdue (4-6/3-3)
Sagarin sez: MSU #51 Sagarin, #43 SS; Purdue #72 Sagarin, #22 SS
Kickoff: 12:00 pm EST.
TV: ESPN
Weather: 61, sunny
Line: MSU favored by 3.

Tickets available

Injuries: Michigan State - RB Andre Anderson (gone), out; RB Caulton Ray (gone), out; S Roderick Jenrette (foot), out; RB Glenn Winston (knee), out; LB Drew Stevens (knee), doubtful; DT Jerel Worthy (leg), probable; S Marcus Hyde, probable; S Danny Fortener (concussion), probable; DT Oren Wilson, probable; RB Larry Caper (concussion), probable. Purdue - DT Nick Mondek (leg), out; LB Jason Werner (back), out; WR Keith Carlos (knee), doubtful; WR/KR Royce Adams (knee), probable.

Common opponents: Both 2-3. Minnesota (MSU-L, Purdue-L); Notre Dame (MSU-L, Purdue-L); Illinois (MSU-W, Purdue-W); Wisconsin (MSU-L, Purdue-L); scUM (MSU-W, Purdue-W)

ES Prediction: This should be a high scoring affair with two prolific offenses on a sunny day. MSU has a greater sense of urgency as it has lost three games on the last play of the game, or would be 8-2. But, Purdue has also fared similarly competitive against the same opponents. The difference is this was already a rebuilding year for Purdue and it has played above expectations; MSU hasn't finished, and needs to do so or be remembered as yet another "would've, should've, could've" team in Spartan history. Give it up to the Spartans to get it done. You want more details, check out the other previews and predictions below.

With the return of Larry Caper in the backfield, and a healthier defensive line, it should have enough manpower to outduel the Boilermakers. The Spartan defense will struggle with the spread as it has all year, but the return of Danny Fortener at safety should help to stem the tide for a while. Will Trenton Robinson step up and play better in the defensive backfield and make plays against the spread, or will he once again play wiffleball? Overall, MSU has a little more on defense and a little more on offense; enough to carry the day.

Final score: Michigan State 32, Purdue 27. Halftime score: Purdue 17, Michigan State 14.

ES Game Day Preview: Michigan State 31, Minnesota 13

Michigan State (4-4/3-2, #43 Sagarin, sked strength #29) at Minnesota (4-4/2-3, #59 Sagarin, sked strength #18)
Saturday, October 31, 2009. 8 pm EST.
TV: Big Ten Network
Weather: 44 degrees, partly sunny
Latest Line: MSU -5 1/2.

Tickets available.

Injuries: Michigan State - RB Andre Anderson (gone), out; RB Caulton Ray (gone), out; S Roderick Jenrette (foot), out; RB Glenn Winston (knee), out; LB Drew Stevens (knee), doubtful; S Trenton Robinson (ankle), probable; DE Trevor Anderson (ankle), probable; QB Keith Nichol (elbow), probable. Minnesota - WR Eric Decker (knee), out.

More Predictions & Previews: ESPN/Adam Rittenberg (MSU 21-13); CFN/Scout (MSU 24-14); CBS Sports/Harmon Forecast (MSU 26-24); SpartyMSU (MSU 35-17).

ES Prediction: Michigan State has a little bit more on defense, and a lot more on offense than does Minnesota. Minny has a better punter; Sparty has a better kicker. Minnesota is fading, and fading fast. Minnesota's defense has been decent, particularly its linebacking corps. Sparty's defense seems to have found itself and is playing as good as it has in the past decade. Minny will miss wideout Eric Decker; if the Spartans can seal the deal offensively by converting in the red zone, they'll walk away with this one. Yes, Sparty will be pissed off and should make things difficult for the Gophers on Saturday. Give the game ball to Greg Jones, who will harass Gopher QBs Marqueis Gray/Adam Weber all day long. The Spartan defensive interior will shut down Minnesota's anemic run game, making it completely one-dimensional... Michigan State's secondary is coming off its finest game and three game set in 10 years or more. And without Eric Decker to catch the ball, Minny plays right into the Spartans' hands.

Statistically in the Big Ten:

• MSU rush off (#7, 130 ypg, 3.8 ypc) vs. MIN rush def (#8, 178 ypg, 4.1 ypc). Advantage MSU.
• MSU pass off (#1, 274 ypg, 8.3 ypr) vs. MIN pass def (#9, 223 ypg, 7.3 ypr). Advantage MSU.
• MIN rush off (#11, 106 ypg, 3.5 ypc) vs. MSU rush def (#3, 104 ypg, 3.1 ypc). Advantage MSU
• MIN pass off (#8, 187 ypg, 6.7 ypr) vs. MSU pass def (#7, 224 ypg, 6.6 ypr). Advantage EVEN.
  

Here's another WOWer of a stat: MSU has 170 first downs; Minnesota, just 119. Do we need more? It may be tight early, but MSU will lead by half and walk away with this one. Watch Sparty be a determined, hungry bunch after last week. Halftime: MSU 14, Minnesota 7. Final Score: MSU 31, Minnesota 13.