** 2018 Opponent Previews: Michigan State (Game 11) **

Saunders

Saunders

Heisman Trophy Winner
CollegeFootballNews: Yeah, Michigan State is a superpower program, and this should be just the team to cement that status.

After all of the horrible headlines in a very, very rough several months for the school and the athletic department, and after the basketball team went out with a whimper, Spartan fans are about to be in for something fun from the football side of things.

It’s possible Michigan State could be even better than it was when it won the Big Ten title and went to the College Football Playoff in 2015. This isn’t some try-hard team that gets by with grit and attitude. It’s one of the big boys, with six double-digit win campaigns in the last eight.

Get ready for another.

https://collegefootballnews.com/2018/04/preview-2018-michigan-state-spartans

What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players, Key Game, Fun Stats
– What Will Happen & Win Total Prediction
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Athlon: 2018 Spartans Preview and Prediction

Michigan State bounced back in a big way in 2017 and should remain a legitimate threat in the Big Ten East Division this fall. Mark Dantonio has one of the most experienced teams in the nation with 19 starters returning. Quarterback Brian Lewerke spearheads a veteran offense while the defense has a chance to repeat as a top-10 unit. The East will be one of the toughest divisions in the country, but don’t overlook the Spartans’ chances of making some noise in 2018.

https://athlonsports.com/college-football/michigan-state-football-2018-spartans-preview-and-prediction
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The Athletic: After impressive rebound, veteran Michigan State football team has lofty goals

The stares all looked somewhat similar, the defiance clear. This time a year ago, players and coaches were sick and tired of questions about their 2016 season, their 3-9 record and the reports of discord in the locker room.

Then-senior Gerald Holmes, among others trotted out to speak at Big Ten media days, made that obvious — at the same time patiently explaining attempts to fix any fracturing that had occurred. He spoke of weekly players-only meetings he organized that began during the offseason and stretched into fall camp. Chris Frey, then a senior team captain, talked later in the summer about team outings to a bowling alley and the best team chemistry he’d ever seen heading into the 2017 season. Their teammates insisted all offseason that things had changed for the better.

And things did get better. The Spartans went 10-3, including a Holiday Bowl win over Washington State. It was a return to normalcy, or at least the normalcy that Mark Dantonio and his staff had created before 2016, the idea and reality that Michigan State belonged in college football’s upper echelon. The Spartans seem back on track to compete for the two things they want most: the Big Ten title and another trip to the College Football Playoff. Some players who helped right the ship have moved on, but 19 starters return. The workmanlike culture that Dantonio has worked so hard to foster appears to have returned, too.

https://theathletic.com/393362/2018/06/21/michigan-state-football-season-preview-depth-chart-schedule/
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SBNation: After a strangely successful season, Michigan State sets up strong

The most encouraging thing you could say about Michigan State football heading into 2017 was that there was no choice but to start fresh.

When overachiever programs — and with three consecutive top-six AP finishes from 2013-15, despite recruiting rankings in the 20s, MSU very much qualifies — fall off a bit, they sometimes lean on older players and old ideas in the hopes of wringing out a little bit more magic.

https://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2018/7/3/17500502/michigan-state-football-2018-preview-schedule-roster
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More to come....

 
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Dantonio with a QB, virtually everyone returning, blue-collar team, etc. They’ll be nasty but I’m glad it’s a home game.

 
That's about as easy as a Big Ten East schedule realistically gets, so there is opportunity. Michigan St in recent years is weird, though. They're somewhere between 2 and 3 games closer to .500 each year than their actual win totals. 2013/2014 they were really strong each year on one side of the ball, those were pretty legit teams, but these last three are suspect. The good teams not as good as they appear, but the bad ones not as bad.

The problem they have is while they have a pretty good defense, top 20 caliber, it's only good enough to be the 4th best in their division. The Big Ten had 8 teams last year in the top 30 for yards per play, and a lot of that is because the conference boasts some of the worst offenses in college football. Michigan St was 92nd in points per game and 100th in yards per play. That doesn't leave much margin for error.

 
I never buy into MSU but they have proven me wrong.  They have a lame schedule, especially in the non-conference portion.  

 
GSG said:
Do you have a subscription? Do you feel like it's worth it?
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I do have a subscription. I started when they launched.

With ESPN/FOX/SI canning a bunch of their writers over the past 2 years, there's been a need for somebody to fill the non "hot takes" void. They don't write clickbait pieces, and there's NO ADS. In addition to CFB, the Athletic covers pro sports, and they've been working to get local writers into the fold as well. They've added a bunch for Big Ten teams recently, and allegedly they're working on getting someone full time to cover the Huskers as well. They also just got Bruce Feldman recently, and he's phenomenal as a writer and reporter.

I think it is absolutely worth it, especially for $30 a year (wait for a deal, they have them all the time).

 
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Saunders said:
I do have a subscription. I started when they launched.

With ESPN/FOX/SI canning a bunch of their writers over the past 2 years, there's been a need for somebody to fill the non "hot takes" void. They don't write clickbait pieces, and there's NO ADS. In addition to CFB, the Athletic covers pro sports, and they've been working to get local writers into the fold as well. They've added a bunch for Big Ten teams recently, and allegedly they're working on getting someone full time to cover the Huskers as well. They also just got Bruce Feldman recently, and he's phenomenal as a writer and reporter.

I think it is absolutely worth it, especially for $30 a year (wait for a deal, they have them all the time).
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I saw a deal the other day. It was like 2 bucks and change per month but I wanted to hear some reviews first. Thanks homey!

EDIT: Here's a link to get 40% off. It comes out to $35.99 for 1 year or $2.99/month. I also see they have an app already!

https://slickdeals.net/f/11200867-the-athletic-40-off-subscription-36

 
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GSG said:
I saw a deal the other day. It was like 2 bucks and change per month but I wanted to hear some reviews first. Thanks homey!

EDIT: Here's a link to get 40% off. It comes out to $35.99 for 1 year or $2.99/month. I also see they have an app already!

https://slickdeals.net/f/11200867-the-athletic-40-off-subscription-36
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Yeah, the app is pretty slick. You can set favorite teams, and it will notify you when there's scores, or new stories on them too.

 
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