Loser: Michigan State Spartans (No. 20 to unranked)
This one was easy. As someone who has watched Michigan State for years, I can say that Saturday’s loss against Northwestern was one of the worst overall performances for a Mark Dantonio-coached team in years — dating back to the 2016 team that went 3-9.
The Spartans showed little heart after falling behind late. They mounted a comeback in the third quarter after a 14-6 halftime deficit, scoring two touchdowns to start the second half, taking a 19-14 lead. Then, Northwestern punched back with a touchdown and two-point conversion, but the Spartans turtle-shelled instead of fighting back.
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OK, maybe the team didn’t totally give up, but there’s only so many red-zone struggles a team can have before it’s totally and completely demoralized.
Michigan State has plenty of talent, which makes this 3-2 start to the season even more head-scratching. The Spartans continue to play down to opponents, so it’ll be interesting to see what they can do in Happy Valley against Penn State next weekend.