Michigan State Predicted to Stay Close to Home in Bowl Projections
Michigan State needs just two more wins to clinch a bowl berth. But it only has three games to do it.
Some experts still see it happening, but the consensus seems to be that the Spartans won't be traveling anywhere warm.
Brad Crawford of 247Sports and CBS Sports' Jerry Palm both have Michigan State playing in the GameAbove Sports Bowl in their latest bowl projections.
The GameAbove Sports Bowl, played in Detroit, features a Big Ten-Mid American Conference showdown. Both experts have the Spartans facing Eastern Michigan.
This bowl game used to be known as the Quick Lane Bowl. Michigan State has never appeared in it.
It isn't the most thrilling bowl game -- most Spartan faithful probably don't want to see their team awarded for its improved season with a game against a Mid-Major opponent. And while the location is convenient, it doesn't feel like much of a bowl game when your team is playing less than 100 miles from home.
Eastern Michigan currently holds a 5-4 record and ranks seventh in the MAC.
The best way Michigan State can avoid this bowl game is if it wins out. It's a lot to ask, especially with the challenge ahead in Illlinois, but the Spartans are capable.
Regardless, most would probably agree a bowl game of any sorts would be a success for the first year of the Jonathan Smith era in East Lansing. After all, the Spartans haven't made a bowl game since 2021, and right now, they are at risk of failing to make one for a third straight year.
That last bowl appearance was the 2021 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, which it won against Pittsburgh to finish No. 9 in the final AP Poll.
That was the Spartans' only bowl appearance of the Mel Tucker era. They made 12 bowl games under Mark Dantonio, including the 2015 Cotton Bowl, one of the two games of the College Football Playoff semifinal.
Michigan State has played a bowl game in Michigan only once before, the Cherry Bowl in 1984 when it faced Army at the Pontiac Silverdome.
The Spartans come out of the bye week with one last road game -- their upcoming meeting with Illinois -- before they return home for their final two games of the regular season. They will host the two worst teams in the Big Ten -- Purdue and Rutgers.
You can view Crawford's latest bowl projections here.
You can view Palm's latest bowl projections here.
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