The most underrated college football team from every Power 5 conference
By Nick Villano
Underrated college football team from the Big Ten: Michigan State Spartans
Michigan State had one heck of an offseason, with head coach Mark Dantonio stepping down just after he was paid a massive bonus. Since he left at the beginning of February, it left the Spartans in a terrible spot. They put together a public search where they failed to get Luke Fickell from Cincinnati. They ended up hiring Mel Tucker away from Colorado after he said he wasn’t leaving. It was very public and very messy, but luckily for Michigan State, it’s all over now and they can focus on football.
Here’s the thing; something like the Tucker search might be just what they needed to reset the program. Is it likely they can put together a system and win the Big Ten from powerhouses like Ohio State or highly talented teams like Michigan, Iowa, and Wisconsin? No, but it’s hard to ignore 150/1 odds.
Elijah Collins is going to be even better in his sophomore season at running back. He’s going to have to carry the load for the offense as they replace quarterback Brian Lewerke. Collins was close to the Spartans’ first 1,000-yard season since 2014. We see that happening this season, and it will be a very important reason why they will be a team to keep an eye on.
Cody White declaring for the NFL was a major hit to the receiving core and yet another blow to the returning starters. This is very hard to overcome, but the Spartans are still a very talented bunch. Julian Barnett is a player we’re keeping our eye on. He played wide receiver as a freshman, but we expect the Spartans to play him more at cornerback, where he was rated as the best high school corner in the state of Michigan out of high school.
The Spartans are a massive longshot for a reason. You can literally bet $1 on them and win $150. There’s a reason for that, but they are extremely underrated. If we’re being serious, we love the team’s over/under of 4.5 wins. They play Michigan, Ohio State, and Minnesota at home this year. This helps them deal with familiarity for their biggest matchups. We absolutely see Michigan State being bowl eligible this season.