Where Will Spartans be After Gauntlet Conference Slate?
The Michigan State Spartans are entering their Week 5 matchup with No.3-ranked Ohio State with a respectable 3-1 record. The Spartans will play its next four games against very talented Big Ten opponents with College Football Playoff aspirations.
The Spartans return home to Spartan Stadium this Saturday to face a team that has looked like one of the best in the country, blowing out each of its first three opponents by a combined score of 157-20.
Buckeye quarterback Will Howard is a Heisman candidate while running back duo Quinshon Judkins and TreVeon Henderson have combined for 543 yards on 60 carries so far this season. Future NFL wide receivers Emeka Egbuka and Jeremiah Smith have also combined for five touchdown catches.
Looking at matchups, the Buckeyes have advantages across the entire field, and even with a stellar defensive performance from the Spartans, it will be a tall task to beat a team that has not lost a Big Ten game to anyone not named the Michigan Wolverines since 2018.
Week 5 vs. Ohio State: Loss (3-2 record)
With conference realignment and the joining of several high-powered Pac-12 teams, the Spartans will have to adjust to playing a team like the No. 9 ranked Oregon Ducks fairly often which they will have to do on the road the very next week.
Even with struggles to pummel inferior opponents early in the year, Oregon has started to look like the well-oiled machine that we have grown accustomed to over the past decade. Quarterback Dillon Gabriel has a chance at the Heisman trophy and is seeking revenge for a national championship.
The Spartans will need to play its best brand of football for a second straight week if they want a shot at a team that has lost just three home games since 2020. Michigan State will compete and keep the game close early but the Oregon offense will prevail in the second half and widen the score.
Week 6 vs. Oregon: Loss (3-3 record)
If the Spartans are sitting at 3-3, they will utilize a necessary bye week before they host the Iowa Hawkeyes in Week 8. An extremely winnable game, but the offense will have to step up and perform with their home crowd behind them.
The Hawkeyes will be coming off two tough games against the Buckeyes and Washington Huskies. With likely a pair of losses and a potentially identical 3-3 record, they will also be in a bounce-back position to climb back above .500.
The Spartans will take advantage of an offense that is averaging just under 150 passing yards per game and come up with big plays on the offensive side to stun the Hawkeye defense with multiple second-half scoring drives.
Week 8 vs. Iowa: Win (4-3 record)
This will be a game that the Spartans are foaming at the mouth for no matter its record. A chance to take advantage of a limited Michigan team that lost a lot of key pieces from last season and shown a lack of offensive firepower, passing for just 32 yards in an upset win over USC in Week 4.
A similar style of play to the Iowa game will have to be had against a Wolverines defense that is top in the nation with future first-round pick, cornerback Will Johnson, who now holds the school record for career pick-six interceptions with three.
The Spartans will score just enough and hold a struggling Wolverines to under 17 points by controlling the run game and thriving on a passing attack that has not been good all season. The Paul Bunyan Trophy will return to East Lansing for the first time since 2021.
Week 9 vs. Michigan: Win (5-3 record)
If the Spartans can go 2-2 in its next four contests to be 5-3 after enduring some of the toughest teams in college football, head coach Jonathan Smith and his guys will be very confident in the home stretch of the season, trying to make a bowl game and surprise a lot of doubters.
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TOM CAVANAUGH