Michigan State Spartans Season Betting Preview

The Michigan State Spartans saw a renaissance of sorts in 2008 as Mark Dantonio and senior leaders Brian Hoyer at QB and Javon Ringer at RB led MSU to a Capital One Bowl berth against Georgia.

The Spartans had a shot at the conference title in the Big Ten all the way down until the end and they got there by playing Ohio State-style football: conservative, hard-hitting, and tough, as Dantonio is a Jim Tressel disciple. That style of football still goes over well in the Big Ten and always will, as the conference still features some of the worst weather in the land and running the ball and stopping the run are paramount, much like in the NFL.

MSU enters 2009 with off-the-charts optimism, but expectations are tempered by first-time starter Kirk Cousins at QB and Larry Caper and/or Edwin Baker, two freshmen, at RB.

The Spartans’ over/under on wins this year at BetOnline is 8, with the over at +125 and the under at -165. To win the Big Ten Title, the odds are +500, and the one main thing MSU has in its favor for making such a bet is their relatively easy conference schedule.

MSU misses Ohio State and gets rivals Michigan and Penn State at home. In the past, however, teams that have gotten the luck of the draw in Big Ten scheduling have had a tendency to turn in disappointing seasons. Dantonio is not the kind of coach who will let that happen, however.

If you had to pick one word to describe the Spartans in 2009, it would be “solid.” This is a team with few weaknesses but they don’t have a whole lot of big-time playmakers outside of linebacker Greg Jones and maybe WR Mark Dell. WR/KR Keshawn Martin is a 4.4-type “slash” kind of player, but he’s a bit raw. He could break out or also be no more than a part-time playmaker. The concern with the Spartans is who is going to make the big play with the game on the line. But they will be in pretty much every game they play and the 7-8 win mark is probably right around where they’ll end up in 2009.

In the end, expect MSU to win 8 games and make it to a solid bowl game, which puts them right at the expected win total in the Sportsbook. Winning the Big Ten isn’t out of the question, but it will take a lot of luck, and it should be noted that MSU was only 8 th in the Big Ten in total yardage. The offense won’t be much better and while the defense is good, it lacks top-notch athleticism that teams like Ohio State and Penn State have.

MSU is headed in the right direction, but for now, there’s still a drop-off in overall depth and talent between them and the top Big Ten programs.