Three Reasons the Michigan State Spartans Can Win The Big Ten
By Jon Poole
It can be a very easy mistake to make, when we’re reminded all summer about Ohio State’s next crop of starters, or how it’s finally Michigan’s year or how any can win the wild wild west, it’s a very easy mistake to make. But, I’m here to warn you, don’t you dare make the mistake of counting Michigan State Spartans Football out of the Big Ten Title race… again.
That is a mistake that has snake bitten those who made it over and over again, reminding us just how real his bounce-back game is. The last three times Mark Dantonio has won 7 or fewer games (2009, 2012 & 2016), he’s won at least ten games the following year, as well as two Big Ten Championships (2010 & 2013) in those bounce-back years. The Michigan State Spartans again have a lot of pieces in place for another bounce-back run at a Big Ten title, which would be Dantonio’s fourth Big Ten Championship.
Unfortunately for the Michigan State Spartans, this year is most of the pieces are on the same side of the ball they were on last year when they were top ten in total defense and still could only muster up a 7-6 record.
While the defense was another work of art under Dantonio last season, the offense looked like a toddler’s crayon scribble on your freshly painted living room wall. I’ve never witnessed such a stark contrast between the two sides of the ball on the same football team in my life. According to SportsReference.com, Michigan State was ranked 9th overall in total defense and 126th in total offense, out of a possible 130 NCAA teams.
With an offensive philosophy of downhill running and time of possession over shootout most Saturday’s, Michigan State’s offense was lacking in three key areas to being able to run such a style successfully. If Mark Dantonio and staff figure out how to get improvement to just league average in these three key area’s, the Michigan State Spartans will be a favorite down the stretch to once again sit atop the mighty Big Ten East;