Know Thy Enemy: Updates On Michigan State, Ohio State And Penn State Football

Michigan is in a conference of 14, but three of its toughest opponents reside in the same division and are all considered rivals.

Here's a look back at what's happened with Michigan State, Ohio State and Penn State football over the past week.

Michigan State

Apparently the hiring of Mel Tucker as Michigan State's football coach didn't instill a lot of confidence in people within the sports gambling world, at least in 2020. Caesars Entertainment recently released its season win totals for the upcoming college football season and they weren't too kind to the Spartans. The folks at Caesars have set the over/under win total at 4.5 for Sparty. 

When I look at Michigan State's schedule, I only see three guaranteed wins — Northwestern, Toledo and Rutgers. I see six very likely losses — Miami, Iowa, Michigan, Ohio State, Minnesota and Penn State. That leaves road games at BYU, Indiana and Maryland. Michigan State needs to win two of those three in order to hit the over. It could be a long season for the Spartans.

Ohio State

Bleacher Report recently put out a list of teams that are most likely to go undefeated in 2020 and the Buckeyes came in at No. 7. Losing players like defensive end Chase Young, running back JK Dobbins and cornerback Jeffrey Okudah is certainly noteworthy but the Buckeyes have recruited as well as any program in the country. There are only a few teams — Alabama, Clemson, Georgia and maybe LSU — on the same tier as OSU when it comes to recruiting. 

Bleacher Report has all four of those teams ahead of the Buckeyes on its list, which points out just how important recruiting is. Returning a dynamic quarterback like Justin Fields and some of the best young receivers in the country like Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson doesn't hurt either.

Penn State

It was recently reported that Penn State wide receiver Mac Hippenhammer would be hanging up his football cleats in order to pursue baseball, and now the two-way athlete is leaving the university altogether. No teams have emerged as landing spots for Hippenhammer yet, but he does intend to play football and baseball at his next destination.

Beaver Stadium came in at No. 4 on Bleacher Report's most recent ranking of the toughest places to play in college football. Ohio State was the only other Big Ten program in the top ten at No. 6. Michigan did receive some votes and was put in the honorable mention column. Alabama came in at No. 1, with LSU and Clemson checking in at No. 2 and 3. Georgia came in just after Penn State to round out the top five.

Which development is the biggest deal to you? Do any of these affect Michigan in a noteworthy way? Comment below!!!