MSU injury report vs Northwestern, men's basketball ranked consensus top 3

Early weather predictions show clear skies, but colder; 48 degrees and partly sunny for the noon kickoff vs Northwestern.

Injury report: Keith Nichol suffered a mild sprain of the elbow, but will play vs the Wildcats. Captain Kirk's ankle has healed and will start at QB for the Big Green. Two players done for the season: safety Roderick Jenrette (foot) and RB Glenn Winston (knee). WR Mark Dell (shoulder) is probable, but can he catch?

Early previews of Michigan State vs Northwestern -- Bleacher Report (MSU 21, NW 13); College Football News (4 of 5 pick MSU); ESPN/Adam Rittenberg (MSU 29, NW 23);

Big Ten Network revealed its power rankings, and hmmm... looks similar to the ES', with the Big Green at #5 in the conference.

Maybe it is too soon for basketball... but yer men's hoops national-runners up from a year ago, Michigan State, is ranked in the TOP 3 of nearly every single preseason publication, prognostication, or pundit.

Spartan injury update

Current word out of Spartan athletics: RB Glenn Winston with a knee sprain - MRI is pending; QB Keith Nichol with a bruised left elbow. RB Larry Caper is fine.

Confirmation of a BLOW OUT Spartan victory? Illinois fans booing relentlessly in the second half. You don't boo your team unless they're laying a turd.

Injuries and redshirts

Injury update: Roderick Jenrette played his ass off on Saturday vs. Michigan, easily the best game of his career; his coverage helped to stymie Tate Forcier... Unfortunately, late in the game he broke his foot and he was certainly missed on the last drive of regulation when scUM tied it up.

QB Kirk Cousins rolled his ankle pretty good vs. the Yellow Bellies, and you could see him limping around during the game. Keith Nichol played his best game as a Spartan in relief; but, Cousins will be fine.

Redshirtin': Sophomore wideout Fred Smith and junior OL Antonio Jeremiah will be redshirted. Both haven't lived up to expectations and other talent has moved up the ladder. Speaking of that, true frosh Blake Treadwell played on the defensive line vs scUM for a significant time period. His redshirt is G-O-N-E, at least for now.

Schedule strength: MSU #32, scUM #105

Now, why would a 1-3 Michigan State team at all be favored over a #22, 4-0 Michigan Yellow Belly team? The ES looks a bit deeper into the OPPONENTS PLAYED to get a better sense at where these teams stand heading into rivalry weekend. Again, this early in the season, the ES uses Sagarin rankings because not only do they rank every team, but also every Division I-FCS and FBS team; Sagarin is also a component in the BCS rankings, as if that matters.

Michigan State is #59 in the Sagarin rankings. scUM is #30.

Michigan State schedule ranking is #32, with a 71.7 score:
Montana State (home): #141, W.
Central Michigan (home): #57, L.
Notre Dame (away): #32, L.
Wisconsin (away): #31, L.

scUM schedule ranking is #105, with a 63.9 score:
Western Michigan (home): #90, W.
Notre Dame (home): #32, W.
Eastern Michigan (home): #159, W.
Indiana (home): #68, W.

Summary: Both teams played Notre Dame about even, with the W to Michigan's home field. MSU played CMU to within one point and lost; Michigan beat Indiana by three. Both teams pounded the worst team on their schedule (Montana State, EMU). Michigan handled WMU easily at home; the Spartans laid an egg on the road at Wisconsin.

A big edge in this game goes to Spartan Stadium and MSU's home field, as scUM has not yet traveled away from The Hole in the Ground this year. The rockin' nature of the Big Green Stadium will certainly rattle Mr. Forcier and his sore shoulder this week.

INJURIES ON THE FRONT LINES: The Doctor is trying to save the redshirt of several freshmen, but injuries and ineffectiveness on the offensive and defensive lines may lead to MD playing Henry Conway at offensive tackle and Blake Treadwell in a pass rush situation. LG Joel Foreman is questionable (ankle); OT J'Michael Deane (leg) is questionable.