Music to listen to: Washington by The Crucifucks
Last Season: The Spartans had their best overall season in 2010 under head coach Mark Dantonio. Michigan State finished the year 11-2, including victories over all of their main rivals, Notre Dame, Michigan and Wisconsin, which gave the Spartans their first Big Ten title since 1991. The two lone losses that season came in painful fashions, a 37-6 loss at Iowa and a 49-7 defeat to Alabama in the Citrus Bowl.
Offense: The Spartans return arguably the top returning quarterback in all of the Big Ten this season (apologies to Denard Robinson and Dan Persa) in Kirk Cousins who went from an unknown to being the offensive leader of the team.
Cousins will have the support of running back Edwin Baker, who rushed for more than 1,200 yards and 13 touchdowns last year. Backing up Baker will be Le’Veon Bell who had 605 yards and eight touchdowns himself last season.
Furthermore, Cousins’ top passing targets such as B.J. Cunningham, Keshawn Martin and Bennie Fowler returning to the Spartans.
The only blemish on offense is that three linemen, including both tackles and the center, must be replaced. For a squad that relies on a power rushing attack and play-action passing, a weak offensive line may halt some success for the overall team.
Defense: While the offense seems established for 2011, there are some holes to fill on defense, particularly in the linebacker position where standouts Greg Jones and Eric Gordon must be replaced.
The secondary returns safety Trenton Robinson and Johnny Adams while the defensive line should be fine with the return of tackles Jerel Worthy and Kevin Pickelman.
Coaching: Michigan State is a unique program because of its past and placement in the current landscape of college football. The program has won six national titles, which shows great history but all of those titles came between the time period of 1951-66. Furthremore, as mentioned earlier, last season was the school’s first Big Ten title in 20 years, which in most big programs would be considered inexcusable.
However, when you think of the Big Ten, the first two schools that come to mind are Michigan and Ohio States, who had more successful programs than the Spartans. Furthermore, the next teams in thought are probably Penn State, Wisconsin, Iowa and now Nebraska in some order. That’s a major obstacle for a team with any aspirations to become a national program.
All of this is to say that Dantonio looks like the right man in East Lansing. He’s taken Michigan State to four consecutive bowl games and increased the overall talent of the roster. The Spartans have lost all four of those bowls games but at least they’re making them.
Schedule:
9/2 vs. Youngstown State
9/10 vs. Florida Atlantic
9/17 at Notre Dame
9/24 vs. Central Michigan
10/1 at Ohio State
10/15 vs. Michigan
10/22 vs. Wisconsin
10/29 at Nebraska
11/5 vs. Minnesota
11/12 at Iowa
11/19 vs. Indiana
11/26 at Northwestern
The game at Notre Dame may set the tone for the entire season for the Spartans. If they can go into South Bend and get a victory, that will most likely lead into a 4-0 record heading into Ohio State. Get that victory and a Big Ten title may be within reach. Traveling to Nebraska and Iowa won’t be easy but at least Michigan State gets Wisconsin and Michigan at home.
Best case: Last season isn’t a fluke as the Spartans get wins at Ohio State and at Iowa to to finish with double-digit wins for another season and making a major bowl.
Worst case: The road contests prove to be too much for the Spartans, including a crushing defeat at Notre Dame, and they limp to a seven-win season.
Alumna Crush:
I need to move on from doing Big Ten previews because my Crush list keeps getting smaller and smaller for these schools. That’s not an insult to Suzanne Sena, pictured above. She’s attractive and has a job, which are two big requirements to be a Crush, but she wouldn’t even crack the starting lineup of an SEC roster in relation to “talent.”
Favorite football alum: First, rest in peace Bubba Smith. As much as I respect the College Football Hall of Fame member and actor, I have to take one of my favorite players from my youth.
Carl Banks, Lawrence Taylor and Leonard Marshall were my favorite New York Giants growing up so whenever I get a chance to show either one of them love, I make an effort to do so.
I know some would expect me to go with Plaxico Burress because I started the “Free Plaxico” movement even before he got sentenced to jail and being a Giants fan but he won only one Super Bowl for the Giants, Banks got two.
Uniform Grade:
Similar to Wisconsin, just replace red with green and you have the Michigan State uniforms.
I like the two-toned shoulders and the green pants that the team sometimes wear that isn’t in the picture above.
The uniforms do lose half a grade because of this…
I can’t condone PED usage by a mascot. Sparty didn’t get those muscles without help…
Grade: B-
Final Thoughts: The chances of Michigan State repeating as Big Ten champions took two major hits for 2011. First, there’s now a conference championship game and when the divisions were made for football, the Spartans drew Nebraska and Michigan in the Legends division, making it even tougher to just make that title game.
However, the offense should be even better this year and if the linebackers play well, another double-digit win season isn’t impossible for the Spartans.
Prediction: 9-3
The Sports Inquirer 
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