Michigan State season preview: Best and worst-case scenario
Entering the 2018 season, Mark Dantonio and Michigan State football have lofty expectations. What’s the best and worst case scenario for the Spartans?
After the 2016 season, it looked like Michigan State’s run in the Big Ten was over. Jim Harbaugh was seemingly on the rise and the Spartans just finished the year 3-9 with lackluster team chemistry.
To make matters worse, the Spartans would be losing some of their key players from that 2016 team, leaving the 2017 squad to be one of the youngest in the Mark Dantonio era.
Clearly, that wasn’t a bad thing. Michigan State rebounded and pulled off a 10-win season which included wins over Michigan, Penn State and Washington State. The Spartans got back to the basics and found their starting quarterback — something that was missing in 2016.
Brian Lewerke passed for 2,793 yards and 20 touchdowns and developed some strong connections with pass-catchers along the way. He returns all of his top targets and his running back, LJ Scott, for the 2018 season, along with his entire offensive line. This could very well be the most prolific offense in program history.
As for the defense, Michigan State was the best run-stopping team in the Big Ten and it returns basically the entire front-seven, minus Chris Frey. Middle linebacker Joe Bachie is a potential All-American and he’ll have a strong line in front of him.
The secondary is as deep as it’s been under Dantonio and that’s a scary thought for opponents. Michigan State’a “No Fly Zone” could be the reason the Spartans piece together a special season in 2018 and get back to the College Football Playoff.
The best-case scenario for the Spartans would probably be a one-loss campaign, with wins over Michigan and Ohio State, and another trip to the Big Ten title game, winning the East. To get back to the College Football Playoff for the first time since 2015, Michigan State would likely need to beat Wisconsin — the favorite to win the West — and it’s a good possibility. Following the Big Ten title game, Michigan State would be 12-1 and a playoff invite would be an almost sure thing.
Best-Case Scenario
- Aug. 31 vs. Utah State – W
- Sept. 8 at Arizona State – W
- Sept. 22 at Indiana – W
- Sept. 29 vs. Central Michigan – W
- Oct. 6 vs. Northwestern – W
- Oct. 13 at Penn State – L
- Oct. 20 vs. Michigan – W
- Oct. 27 at Purdue – W
- Nov. 3 at Maryland – W
- Nov. 10 vs. Ohio State – W
- Nov. 17 at Nebraska – W
- Nov. 24 vs. Rutgers – W
The worst-case scenario for Michigan State would be dropping its second game of the season in a dangerous Pac-12 after dark showdown with Arizona State. Then, losing two of three between Michigan, Penn State and Ohio State would be nothing outside of disappointing. They’d finish the regular season 9-3 without a trip to the conference title game and the Spartans would likely earn another Holiday Bowl-esque bid.
Worst-Case Scenario
- Aug. 31 vs. Utah State – W
- Sept. 8 at Arizona State – L
- Sept. 22 at Indiana – W
- Sept. 29 vs. Central Michigan – W
- Oct. 6 vs. Northwestern – W
- Oct. 13 at Penn State – W
- Oct. 20 vs. Michigan – L
- Oct. 27 at Purdue – W
- Nov. 3 at Maryland – W
- Nov. 10 vs. Ohio State – L
- Nov. 17 at Nebraska – W
- Nov. 24 vs. Rutgers – W
Dantonio returns one of his youngest, most talented teams ever and the expectations are through the roof for the Spartans in 2018. The best-case scenario would obviously be an undefeated season, but the Spartans would likely win the division and make the playoff with one loss to a team not named Ohio State or Michigan. Buckle up, Michigan State is back.