Michigan St Spartans
2010 Record: 11-2
2010 Bowl Result: Lost 49-7 to Alabama in Capital One Bowl
2010 Against the Spread: 7-6
2010 over/under: 6-7
Returning Starters: 13 (7 offense. 6 defense)

Throughout August we are releasing pre-season previews for all the major college teams.  Our College Football Handicappers are doing plenty of research to make sure we release  winners every week during the upcoming season.

Last season Michigan St lost only once in the regular season, when they got pounded 37-6 at Iowa. Michigan St tied with Ohio St and Wisconsin for the Big Ten title last year, but wasn’t selected to go to one of the BCS Bowls because Ohio St would sell more tickets. (Tickets weren’t the only thing Ohio St was selling, as we would later find out!) Michigan St’s season ended with a humiliating 49-7 beatdown by Alabama in the Capital One Bowl. This year Coach Mark Dantonio returns 13 starters and hopes to compete for the Big Ten Legends division title.

Here is a look at Michigan St’s offense, defense, special teams, and schedule.

Offense

Last season Michigan St’s offense was decent but not great. They averaged 391.2 yards a game which was 52nd in the nation. They averaged 236.4 passing yards a game which was 46th in the nation, and 153.8 rushing yards (64th). The Spartans scored 29.5 points a game which was 47th in the nation.

Senior quarterback Kirk Cousins returns under center for the Spartans. Last season he completed 66.9% of his passes for 2,825 yards, 20 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. He does need to cut down on the interceptions. Sophomore Andrew Maxwell is the backup, but doesn’t expect to see a lot of playing time behind the durable Cousins. He might see some action in mop-up duty.

The rushing game struggled at times last year, especially in the 2 losses. The Spartans rushed for only 31 yards in the loss to Iowa and an incredible -48 yards against Alabama in the bowl game. The top three rushers return but they need to be more consistent. Junior Edwin Baker was the leading rusher last season with 207 carries, 1,201 yards, and 13 touchdowns. Sophomore Le’Veon Bell had 107 carries, 605 yards, and 8 touchdowns. Junior Larry Caper was supposed to be the lead running back last season but a hand injury hampered him, and prevented him from being a significant part of the offense. He had 38 carries for 144 yards and 2 touchdowns last year, but expects to see more carries now that he is healthy. The offense uses a fullback sometimes, and Todd Anderson will fill that position. He is a better blocker than runner though.

Michigan St spread the ball around last season with six players having at least 20 catches, and 8 players caught at least one touchdown pass. That should continue this year as well. The Spartans lose top receiver Mark Dell but the other top receivers are back. Senior B.J. Cunningham had 50 catches, 611 yards, and 9 touchdowns. Seniors Keith Nichol (a converted quarterback) and Keshawn Martin will be the other receivers along with redshirt freshman Tony Lippett and sophomore Bennie Fowler. Garrett Celek, (younger brother of Eagles TE Brent) will take over as tight end for the Spartans as a senior. Dion Sims and Brian Linthicum will also get significant touches at tight end.

Michigan St’s offensive line was inconsistent last year, and only returns 2 starters from that squad. The line is led by left guard Joel Foreman who has started 36 games for  the Spartans, and junior right guard Chris McDonald. those two will anchor a line that has been overhauled for the most part. The weak link could be at left tackle where Dan France and Jared McGaha will compete for the job.

Defense

The defense was ranked in  or near the top 40 in most of the major categories last year except passing defense which was #60. Michigan St gave up 355.6 total yards a game, including 220.1 passing yards and 135.5 rushing yards. They also gave up only 22.3 points a game.  

The Spartan’s defense returns 6 starters after a decent season last year. This team had no pass rush and were decent at stopping the run. The Spartans were lucky that they didn’t face too very good offenses last season but they did slow down Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois and Penn St. The defense was humiliated in the bowl game against Alabama as the Crimson Tide rolled up 546 total yards, including 275 yards rushing and 49 points.

Michigan St loses linebackers Greg Jones and Eric Gordon. They still have Junior DT Jerel Worthy who is (sigh, forgive me) worthy enough to play in the NFL right now. Johnny White may be one of the best corners in the country. The pass rush was ranked 90th in the country last year and they have to get more pressure from DE’s William Gholston and Tyler Hoover.

Special Teams

Junior Dan Conroy returns as the kicker after converting 14 out of 15 field goals and 45 out of 46 extra points. Leg stregth was an issue fro Conroy but he was 4-4 from over 40 yards last year. If Conroy struggles, sophomore Kevin Muma  who handled kickoffs and had 13 touchbacks last year can step in as the placekicker.

Redshirt freshman Mike Sadler steps in as the punter, replacing Aaron Bates who was among the best punters in the country. Sadler has a strong leg and was rated the third best high school punter in the country last year as a recruit.

Keshawn Martin will handle both kick and punt returns. He had almost a 30 yard average on kicks in 2009 but regressed to 19 yards per return in 2010. He averaged 14 yards per return on punts and had a score last year.

Schedule

Michigan St’s non-conference schedule includes home games against Youngstown St, Florida Atlantic, and Central Michigan sandwiched around a road game at Notre Dame. Obviously the trip to South Bend is the only game where the Spartans will not be heavy favorites. In conference, Michigan St plays 8 conference games with the addition of Nebraska as the 12th team in the Big Ten. The conference has split into two divisions, pretentiously named Legends and Leaders with a conference Championship game in December in Indianapolis. Michigan St has conference road games at Ohio St, Nebraska, Iowa, and Northwestern. They have home games against Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Indiana. Michigan St has a good chance to compete with Nebraska and Iowa for the legends division title.

Betting Trends

Michigan St was 7-6 ATS last season including 4-3 at home and 3-3 on the road. The over under was 4-3 at home and 2-4 on the road.

Game to Play Michigan St

Last season, Michigan St was able to avoid playing Ohio St because of the rotating schedule. However, Michigan St opens conference play at Columbus this season October 1. That was supposed to be the last game of a five game suspension for Buckeyes coach Jim Tressel and 5 of his players including quarterback Terelle Pryor. Now know that Tressel resigned as coach and Pryor left school early. Going to Ohio Stadium is no picnic but I still like Michigan St to cover against a team in turmoil.

Game to Play against Michigan St

On October 29, Michigan St travels to new conference rival Nebraska. The Huskers are loaded and could win the Big Ten title in their first year. They are #13 in the pre-season coaches poll. Nebraska should win handily in Lincoln against the Spartans.

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