Michigan St Spartans 2022 College Football Preview
July 27, 2022
2021 Recap
Record – 11-2
ATS – 10-3
Mel Tucker and the Spartans had a hell of a run LY and were in the hunt for the Big Ten East title until the second-last week of the regular season. They started out on SUPAH HOT FIRE (8-0) and even took down Michigan in a very entertaining battle (W 37-33). Ohio St beat them like a RED-HEADED STEPCHILD ** but they still finished with an impressive record of 11-2.
** Karen, if you don’t like that phrase, speak to our manager
Michigan St Spartans 2022 Outlook
OFFENSE
The Spartans were a dangerous bunch LY and they did good work on the ground (176 YPG, #6 Big Ten) as well as through the air (254 YPG, #6). The THROW GAME is still in good shape with the return of 3,000-yard passer Payton Thorne and star WR Jayden Reed (1,026, 17.4, 10 TD) but the yuuuge question mark is how the Spartans deal with the loss of all-Universe RB Kenneth Walker (1,636, 6.2, 18 TD) who just ripped Michigan’s defense apart again as we were typing this sentence. The good news is that the RB room looks deep with the return of their #2 and #3 RBs as well as a pair of talented transfers in Jarek Broussard (Buffs) and Jalen Berger (Badgers). The OL played great LY but there’s reason for concern with just two starters back in the fold. This looks like a slightly-above average Big Ten offense on paper.
DEFENSE
The defense was a bit WACKY LY as they were stout vs the run (117 YPG, #4 Big Ten), were MASTERS OF PENETRATION (43 sacks, #1 Big Ten, #6 FBS) but yet allowed a ridiculous 325 YPG thru the air (dead last FBS). We expect them to play good defense this season and not get roasted nearly as bad on the back end. The DL looks like your typical strong Michigan St front as they have great size inside and they added highly-regarded Florida transfer DE Khris Bogle to the mix. The LB group is set with the return of leading tackler Cal Haladay and the addition of UNLV stud Jacoby Windmon. The secondary is more experienced heading into 2022, and while they don’t look like a NO FLY ZONE, they’ll be an improved group. They’ve booked 40+ sacks in each of the last two full seasons, and if they can do that again, it could be a nasty stop unit. Stay tuned!
SPECIAL TEAMS
The Spartans are in good shape with the return of their excellent punter Bryce Baringer (42.9 net LY) and star PR Jayden Reed who was phenomenal in 2021 (19.8, 2 TD).
Schedule Analysis
Overall – The Spartans should get off to a 2-0 start before making a tough trip out west to battle Washington. They draw Wisconsin and Minnesota out of the West division but at least they get to play both of them at home.
Season Win Total
per BetOnline July 27
Over 7.5 -130
Under 7.5 +100
MEGALOCKS says:
No leanage.
GUN to the HEAD we’d take a small taste of the ‘over’ but we worry about that schedule just a wee bit and almost-certain regression.
MEGAmazing Tidbits
Michigan St has posted a mediocre 20-32 mark vs Vegas (38%) as home chalk over the L10Y. They’re 3-2 in that role under Mel Tucker.
The Spartans have only lost one non-CFP bowl game since 2010, and that was the legendary SNOT BUBBLER of a Redbox Bowl in 2018 in which they fell to Oregon by an impossible score of 7-6.
MEGALOCKS Outlook:
There’s nothing to not like about these guys. They should be fine in all three phases of the game and HC Mel Tucker has them playing with confidence. The overall talent level is still a notch below what Michigan and Ohio St bring to the table and it’s hard to see them having the same fortune in close games as they did in 2021. We’ll call for seven or eight wins and a decent bowl bid.
Want more Michigan St football ?
WEBSITE
https://msuspartans.com/sports/football
FORUM
http://michiganstate.247sports.com/Board/Michigan-State-Spartans-Message-Board-Forum-93
https://michiganstate.forums.rivals.com/forums/the-underground-bunker.18/
NEWS
http://www.freep.com/sports/spartans/
http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/sports/green-white/
https://www.espn.com/college-football/team/_/id/127/michigan-state-spartans