Michigan State Spartans 2009 Football Betting Preview

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Michigan State 2008 Record: (9-4, 6-2)
Michigan State 2008 Bowl: Capital One Bowl vs. Georgia (L 12-24)
Michigan State Coach: Mark Dantonio (16-10 at Michigan State, 34-27 overall)
Michigan State Offensive Coordinator: Don Treadwell
Michigan State Defensive Coordinator: Pat Narduzzi
Michigan State Returning Stats Leaders:

• Rushing: Andre Anderson, RB, 97 yards
• Passing: Kirk Cousins, QB, 310 yards
• Receiving: Mark Dell, WR, 679 yards
• Tackles: Greg Jones, LB, 127
• Sacks: Trevor Anderson, DE, 8.0
• Interceptions: Johnny Adams, CB, 2; Dan Fortener, S, 2; Chris L. Rucker, CB, 2

Notable Michigan State Returning Players: OT Rocco Cironi, WR B.J. Cunningham, LB Adam Decker, G Joel Foreman, TE Charlie Gantt, LB Eric Gordon, C Joel Nitchman, K Brett Swenson, CB Ross Weaver, WR Blair White, DT Oren Wilson

Michigan State Key Losses: QB Brian Hoyer, DT Justin Kershaw, DE Brandon Long, G Roland Martin, OT Jesse Miller, RB Javon Ringer, S Otis Wiley

2008 was a breakout year for the Spartans and their 9-4 record was the school’s best finish in a decade. Head coach Mark Dantonio has really upgraded the defense and the Spartans’ 6-2 conference finish established them as the Big Ten’s clear #3 team last fall. Michigan State finished the season ranked in the top 25 for the first time in recent memory despite a hard fought loss to Georgia in the Capital One Bowl. With 15 starters back and an elite recruiting class coming in, can Dantonio continue to build the Spartans into a consistent winner in 2009?

Offensively, MSU suffered two major losses. The first is quarterback Brian Hoyer. His loss is major because I felt all season that he held back the Spartan offense and I believe that backup Kirk Cousins was a better option as he impressed every time he got in the game. Cousins was named a captain this fall and is locked in a dead heat with fellow sophomore Keith Nichol for the starting role heading into the fall because both have been so impressive in spring and in camp. Don’t expect the Spartans to settle on a starter until the 3rd game of the year but either player will be a significant upgrade from Hoyer.

The other major loss is tailback Javon Ringer, who was a finalist for the Doak Walker award after rushing for over 1,600 yards and 22 touchdowns last year. Ringer was the focus of the offense and he led the country in carries last fall, meaning that the diminutive star leaves very big shoes to fill. The good news is that Dantonio brought in two excellent freshmen in his most recent recruiting class and both are expected to play a lot this fall. While I don’t expect the overall production that the Spartans received from Ringer, there is no question that MSU will be able to run the football well. I like the Spartan O-Line as well and sophomore guard Joel Foreman is a budding star after being named a 1st team Freshman All-American last fall. Finally, Michigan State returns a deep set of receivers for the young quarterbacks to target that should make a lot of plays. Overall, I really have been impressed with both quarterbacks and I think that Michigan State’s passing game will be significantly stronger and should more than make up for Ringer’s lost production. I expect a big jump on offense from Michigan State.

Defensively, Michigan State was very impressive in 2008. That is, they were impressive as long as they didn’t play Ohio State or Penn State, against whom they allowed a combined total of 94 points! The good news is that the Spartans shut down an extremely talented Georgia offense in the Capital One Bowl and definitely played well enough to win. With eight starters back, I expect an even better defense this fall.

Up front, senior end Trevor Anderson is the star of the group. After following Dantonio from Cincinnati, Anderson made a splash in his first year in East Lansing as he racked up 8 sacks. I expect him to anchor a solid defensive line that has exceeded expectations in camp. Behind them, Michigan State boasts one of the league’s most talented groups of linebackers. Middle linebacker Greg Jones was a 1st team All-Big Ten choice after making 127 tackles last year and fellow junior Eric Gordon is also very talented but often gets overlooked because of Jones’ excellence. The strength at linebacker leads me to expect an improved performance against the run this fall. Finally, Michigan State’s secondary is quite solid despite losing star safety Otis Wiley. Junior Chris Rucker is one of the best cornerbacks in the league and there is a ton of depth on hand so I expect a strong performance from the secondary this fall. Overall, Michigan State’s defense is one of the best units in the Big Ten and should play a big part in their success in 2009.

The schedule is intriguing. Out of conference, MSU faces MAC favorite Central Michigan and then travels to rival Notre Dame, where the Spartans have won seven consecutive games! Sparty also has a fairly favorable schedule in conference as they host Penn State, Iowa, Northwestern and archrival Michigan and avoid Ohio State in the schedule rotation! This is about as friendly as the Spartans could hope for.

Overall, Michigan State is clearly a program moving towards the top of the conference. Their only league losses last fall came at the hands of Ohio State and Penn State and Dantonio turned that momentum into a top 20 recruiting class in February. This fall, I expect Michigan State to have a serious upgrade at the quarterback position while still fielding a solid rushing attack. Furthermore, I really think that their defense will be even more improved this season thanks to a healthy dose of experience and depth. I think last year was the start of a sustained run of success in East Lansing and I expect that momentum to continue. I will be disappointed if Michigan State doesn’t win eight or nine games this fall.

Michigan Stae Big Games: Sept. 19th @ Notre Dame, Sept. 26th @ Wisconsin, Oct. 3rd vs. Michigan, Oct. 10th @ Illinois, Oct. 24th vs. Iowa, Nov. 21st vs. PSU

Michigan State’s Strength:

The Spartans did not have the greatest defense in the Big Ten, but with eight starters returning, the unit could be even better. The strength is in the middle with linebackers Greg Jones, Adam Decker and Eric Gordon. Jones led the team with 127 tackles and that was just as a sophomore. Now that he is an upperclassman, he is ready to emerge as the leader of a talented defense. The absence of tackle Justin Kershaw and end Brandon Long is a cause for concern. The Spartans only tallied two sacks per game a year ago and Long was an important part of that. However, Trevor Anderson is back for his senior campaign and he led the squad with eight sacks. If the Spartans can find another pass rusher to compliment Anderson, the defense will be in great shape.

Michigan State’s Weakness:

The MSU offense last season was pretty much handing the ball to running back Javon Ringer and letting him do his thing. On the year Ringer tallied an incredible 390 carries. Now he is gone and the Spartans will have to diversify their offense. Senior A.J. Jimmerson is the likely candidate to replace Ringer, but Andre Anderson had a quality freshman campaign in 2008 and could be the go-to-guy in 2009. Making matters worse for the offense is the fact that Brian Hoyer has also run out of eligibility. Hoyer did not have a great senior season and the numbers were nothing special, but he was a leader. Now there is a quarterback controversy in East Lansing as Kirk Cousins battles it out with Keith Nichol. Cousins has more experience in the system, but Nichol was a super recruit who committed to MSU originally before opting to head to Oklahoma instead. Now he is back with the Spartans and has to pick up the offense quickly if he wants to unseat Cousins.

Our Prediction for the 2009 Spartans:

No matter who the quarterback ends up being, there are plenty of young playmakers to pass the ball to. The receivers were young and inconsistent last year, but that excuse will not work anymore and players like Mark Dell and B.J. Cunningham have to be more consistent. With the likelihood that the team will be forced to spend less time on the ground, especially without linemen Roland Martin and Jesse Miller, the quarterbacks and the receivers have to play better if the Spartans want to be in the mix for a Big Ten title.

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