Oregon vs. Michigan State: Which Teams Needs the Win More, Ducks or Spartans?

Standing out in a largely unappealing slate of Week 2 games is a gem: Michigan State at Oregon. 

There have already been big games in Week 1—Clemson at Georgia, LSU vs. Wisconsin—and there will be equally big games later this month, like Auburn's trip to Kansas State on Sept. 18. Additionally, USC heads to Stanford on Saturday in a battle of top-15 teams. 

But this one in Eugene has the College Football Playoff's fingerprints all over it.

Take preseason rankings with a large grain of salt, but Michigan State-Oregon is the first game of the 2014 season that puts two top-10 teams against one another. Because it's a nonconference game, it already has a semifinal feel to it. 

It's also a fascinating matchup of styles between Oregon's high-tempo, spread 'em out offense vs. Michigan State's stout defense. 

So which team needs the win more?

The short answer is Michigan State, but not because Sparty is fighting some arbitrary uphill battle for respect. This program should already have that respect, having defeated Ohio State in last year's Big Ten championship before toppling Stanford at its own game in the Rose Bowl. 

No, Michigan State doesn't need a win on the road against the Ducks—to which it is a double-digit underdog*, according to oddshark.com—to "arrive." 

(*Spreads are not necessarily based on what oddsmakers think the difference in score will be. Rather, they're based on how oddsmakers feel they can get 50 percent of the public to bet on one side and 50 percent to bet on the other.) 

Michigan State doesn't need this win to boost a supposedly laughable Big Ten schedule, either. The narrative is that the Pac-12 is the overall stronger conference.

However, a glance over Oregon's schedule shows that the Ducks have just two opponents, not including Michigan State, currently ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 (UCLA and Stanford). That's the same number of ranked opponents left on the Spartans' schedule. 

Paul Sancya/Associated Press

Those numbers, of course, are subject to change. For that matter, schedules can't be fully evaluated until the end of the year. The point being, Oregon and Michigan State's respective schedules are on generally equal footing right now. There's a mix of good teams and bad teams. 

Rather, A Spartans win would be an important moment for a reloaded defense. The 2013 group was special, ranking in the top five nationally against the run, the pass, in total yards allowed and points allowed, according to cfbstats.com.

Among the players gone from that defense include linebackers Denicos Allen and Max Bullough, cornerback Darqueze Dennard and safety Isaiah Lewis and defensive tackle Micajah Reynolds. 

To tab those losses as anything other than significant would be downplaying them. They're losses that defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi, widely respected as one of the best in college football, must overcome. 

Sparty isn't void of talent, though. Defensive end Shilique Calhoun is a pass-rushing force. Freshman defensive lineman Malik McDowell is already contributing as well. 

"We're a pressure team, but we're getting better pass rush collectively from four guys," head coach Mark Dantonio said last year to Adam Rittenberg of ESPN.com. 

To win on the road in a tough environment against Oregon, one of the top offenses in the country, would be a major confidence boost for this defense (and for the entire program). Even a solid performance by the Spartan defense would be a win in its own right. 

In many ways, winning or losing does rest on the defense. Michigan State likely isn't going to win a shootout against Oregon. That's not who the Spartans are.  

Chris B. Brown of Grantland has a perfect explanation of how Michigan State plans to slow Oregon's attack. In short, keep it simple, but keep it malleable: "Rather than trying to call the right defense and maybe being right or maybe being wrong, Dantonio and Narduzzi have responded to this challenge by building a responsive defense that mutates into the right alignment depending on what the offense does."

That's easier said than done.

Above all else, Michigan State has to stay disciplined in the face of misdirection, fakes and pre-snap motion. With future games against the likes of Michigan, Maryland, Ohio State and Penn State, the best preparation for future offenses could come from the Spartans' most difficult opponent. 

The good news for State is that it has one of the best head coach-defensive coordinator combos in the country in Dantonio and Narduzzi. Getting outclassed would be nothing short of surprising. A close loss for either team wouldn't necessarily bump them out of the playoff discussion, either. 

If we're fortunate enough, we'll get that close game. 

Ben Kercheval is a lead writer for college football. All quotes cited unless obtained firsthand.