Big Ten Team Preview: Michigan State Spartans

Michigan State enters 2008 as a team on the rise in the Big Ten.  After underachieving for the entire watch under John L. Smith, it's looking like Mark Dantonio has things at least headed in the right direction.

Will Sparty compete for a Big Ten crown this fall?  Not a snowball's chance in hell, my friends.  But will they continue to be more competitive?  Absolutely.

Although the Spartans went 7-5 in the regular season last year, only three of those wins came against Big Ten opponents.  Returning 16 starters this year gives the Spartans to have a realistic opportunity to reach a January bowl game.

Brian Hoyer will man the offense, as the senior quarterback showed he was very capable last fall.  Couple him with a very strong running back in Javon Ringer, and Michigan State has a pretty good QB/RB combo.

Is it great?  Not really, but it will do damage if not taken as a serious threat.

The Spartans enter 2008 without a proven wideout for Hoyer to find as his go-to man.  Devin Thomas is gone to the NFL, leaving Mark Dell and Deon Curry to fill his much-missed production.  Can they do it?  They're capable of being decent, but nothing extraordinary.

The offensive line is the giant question mark entering 2008 for the Spartan offense.  Pretty much the entire starting core from a year ago is gone, and that usually does not spell success.  Granted, Georgia had a pair of freshmen starting on their line last year, and we are all aware of what they did.

However, teams like Iowa and Notre Dame had several first year starters on their lines, and both played very poorly.  It seems that more often than not, replacing almost an entire offensive line just about kills you, so this is a big reason for concern here.

With so many questions on the offensive line, I have real trouble expecting this team to soar over .500.

The defensive line tells nearly the same story as the offensive side.  Can they fill gaps left by departing seniors?  Three holes need to be filled from last year's team.

The linebackers don't have much experience starting, but they do have game experience, which should count for something.  The secondary seems to be improved with former touted recruits Kendall Clark and Ross Weaver expected to start at corner.

The Prognosis

Michigan State is starting to return towards the top of the Big Ten.  Although the turnaround isn't occurring as quickly as the one at Illinois, Michigan State is improving.  This year brings many questions to the Spartans, but the schedule features plenty of winnable games.

Michigan State will finish 7-5 while playing once again in the Champs Sports Bowl.