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Michigan State football: Game-by-game predictions for the 2017 season

By Colton Wesley

EAST LANSING, MI - SEPTEMBER 24: Head coach Mark Dantonio of the Michigan State Spartans and members of the team walk to Spartan Stadium before the start of the game against the Wisconsin Badgers on September 24, 2016 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Bobby Ellis/Getty Images)
EAST LANSING, MI - SEPTEMBER 24: Head coach Mark Dantonio of the Michigan State Spartans and members of the team walk to Spartan Stadium before the start of the game against the Wisconsin Badgers on September 24, 2016 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Bobby Ellis/Getty Images) /
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UNIVERSITY PARK, PA – NOVEMBER 26: Head coach Mark Dantonio of the Michigan State Spartans shakes hands with head coach James Franklin of the Penn State Nittany Lions after the game on November 26, 2016 at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania. Penn State defeats Michigan State 45-12 clinching Big Ten East Division Champions. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA – NOVEMBER 26: Head coach Mark Dantonio of the Michigan State Spartans shakes hands with head coach James Franklin of the Penn State Nittany Lions after the game on November 26, 2016 at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania. Penn State defeats Michigan State 45-12 clinching Big Ten East Division Champions. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images) /

November 4: vs. Penn State

Michigan State’s schedule is really tough. Not only do they play three legitimately losable non-conference games, they have an amazingly difficult conference schedule that only seems to escalate in difficulty as October turns to November.

Maybe the offensive line will start clicking and a wide receiver or two emerges as a surprising star. Maybe the young secondary exceeds expectations and the Spartans find a pass rush. Maybe Michigan State will reach the final month of the season and be a pretty good team that can compete for a bowl game.

But then they play Penn State and Ohio State.

Michigan State can steadily improve as the season goes along, but it would take something Herculean for them to be ready to compete when the Nittany Lions roll into East Lansing still in the Big Ten East title hunt.

Saquon Barkley is probably the best running back in college football and is a legitimate preseason Heisman candidate. Trace McSorley will throw to a decent group of pass-catchers, making the offense two-dimensional, and Michigan State simply will not have the manpower to contain all of Penn State’s playmakers.

Defensively, the Nittany Lions will be replacing some key players, but by the time November starts the new guys will have settled into their roles and the Spartans don’t have the kind of playmakers that would be able to do much anyway. Penn State rolls in Michigan State’s worst game of 2017. Penn State 45 – Michigan State 10 (2-7)

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