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Michigan State Football: 2016 Game-by-Game Predictions

By Colton Wesley

Dec 5, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Michigan State Spartans head coach Mark Dantonio celebrates with his team after defeating the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Big Ten Conference football championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 5, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Michigan State Spartans head coach Mark Dantonio celebrates with his team after defeating the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Big Ten Conference football championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 19, 2015; Las Vegas, NV, USA; BYU Cougars wide receiver Nick Kurtz (5) celebrates with wide receiver Terenn Houk (11) after scoring a touchdown against Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl at Sam Boyd Stadium. Utah won the game 35-28. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 19, 2015; Las Vegas, NV, USA; BYU Cougars wide receiver Nick Kurtz (5) celebrates with wide receiver Terenn Houk (11) after scoring a touchdown against Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl at Sam Boyd Stadium. Utah won the game 35-28. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports /

Week Five: Michigan State (4-0) v. Brigham Young, October 8

Series History: First meeting.

What Happened Last Time: First meeting.

The Brigham Young Cougars:

After Bronco Mendenhall left for Virginia in December, he was replaced by former BYU fullback, Tongan and former Utah and Oregon State defensive coordinator Kalini Sitake. One of Sitake’s first moves was to bring in former BYU hero Ty Detmer to run the offense. Yes, that Ty Detmer.

Sixth-year senior Taysom Hill won back his starting job after battling injury for two seasons, despite the strong performance from backup Tanner Magnum last season. Algernon Brown and Jamaal Williams return to the backfield for the Cougars and the competent offensive line returns just about everyone, but the receiving corps is a bit thin, led by three seniors who were buried on the depth chart last season.

The Cougars’ biggest question mark will be the transition from a 3-4 to a 4-3 under Sitake and new defensive coordinator Ilaisa Tuiaki. The defense brings back most of the secondary and some good pass rushers, but with Bronson Kaufusi departed for the NFL, there will be a production gap for the Cougars that needs to be filled by someone, and who knows if one will emerge in a new system?

Forecast:

This will probably be presented as a trap game for Michigan State. BYU will be coming off of a tough early schedule, including games with Utah, UCLA and West Virginia, so they’ll be primed and ready by the time they visit East Lansing. That being said, the Cougars are looking at a long west-to-east trip into a hostile away environment, and the last time they made such a trip they lost 31-0 at the Big House.

The Cougars have depth, but they lack explosive playmakers on offense. The ground game will have to pick up and someone will need to emerge from the receiving corp. Unless those playmakers emerge, BYU will struggle to score against a stout Spartan front, and Michigan State should win this one without it being too close.

Final Prediction:

Michigan State: A big game from Tyler O’Connor and a comfortable win.

Brigham Young: Jet lag.

Should I Watch It?: The conference schedule will be in full swing by the time this game rolls around, but none of the other matchups are particularly compelling this week. Might as well leave it here.

Season Record: 5-0

Next: Week Six: v. Northwestern

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