Prediction for Ohio State vs. Michigan State

The Big Ten season is going to start off really well for one team and really poorly for the other as Michigan State hosts Ohio State at 3:30 p.m. today.

This game could really go a number of ways, as both teams have looked bad in recent weeks.

However, this game looks to be shaping up well for Michigan State in my opinion.

This is not an easy task for Ohio State, as it plays its road opener against one of the top teams in the Big Ten. Regardless of what the Buckeyes have done on offense or defense this season, you don’t truly know about your team until you play on the road.

Look at Nebraska. The Cornhuskers are like night and day when it comes to playing at home or on the road.

Ohio State can win this game if it can manage to make big plays on offense and special teams. I don’t see the Buckeyes being able to sustain drives against the MSU defense, but there will be opportunities for a big play here and there. Braxton Miller will need to be aggressive and accurate when he attacks the MSU secondary. Turnovers are likely to happen, but that can’t discourage him from taking chances later in the game. If the Buckeyes can get a few big touchdown plays, that could be enough to win the game.

Michigan State can win if the defense keeps Miller in check and the offensive resolves some of its issues of recent weeks. Expect the Buckeyes to stack the box on defense and dare Andrew Maxwell and the Michigan State receivers to beat them. If the Spartans can avoid drops and Le’Veon Bell can continue to be a consistent presence on the ground, Michigan State shouldn’t have much trouble putting drives together on this Ohio State defense, which is giving up nearly 400 yards per game.

The potential is there for this to be a 6-3 game. The potential is also there for there to be some scoring. Expect somewhere in between. The Spartans should have gotten a wake-up call from last week’s performance against Eastern Michigan. If MSU can’t get up and play well for this game, then it’s going to be a long season in Spartan country.

Ohio State is still far from a finished product. Urban Meyer will probably do big things with the Buckeyes, but not this year. Look for Michigan State to pick up another win over OSU in a hard-fought, grind-it-out game.

Prediction: MSU 20, Ohio State 10

Little Brother Scale after Week 4

Right now, it would be hard for me to say anyone is a “Big Brother” between these two teams.

Both looked so bad at times on Saturday that neither deserves praise. But, I will carry on.

The one thing that stands out for Michigan is that it had the game in its hands. It moved the ball better than Notre Dame and really had multiple chances to take control of the contest, but six turnovers let it slip away.

In Notre Dame’s meeting with Michigan State, you never felt like the Spartans had the control of the game. MSU had to fight for everything it could get.

That showed up again against Eastern Michigan. Despite a dominant defensive showing for the Spartans, the offense just couldn’t make anything happen.

As one dimensional as the Michigan offense is with Denard Robinson, the MSU offense has become just as one dimensional with Le’Veon Bell. The only difference is that Robinson is capable of doing more in a single play than Bell.

Despite that, the MSU defense is better than the Michigan defense and the Spartans still have a better recent track record than the Wolverines.

With Big Ten play getting started this week, the picture of what the season holds for both teams will start to clear up. We are less than a month away than the anticipated game on Oct. 20. This season has felt like a wash thus far, so the scale goes back to where it was before the season began.

LITTLE BROTHER SCALE: MSU 17, Michigan 15

Weekend Recap: More confused than ever

I give up.

I am done trying to figure out Michigan and Michigan State this year, or the entire Big Ten for that matter.

Here are my final thoughts on the Spartans and Wolverines for the weekend.

MSU

Just a few weeks ago, nobody was giving more praise to the Spartans than I was. I legitimately thought this team was a top-10 caliber program.

The defense looked so tough that I thought the Spartans could overcome all their offensive woes.

Turns out, I might be wrong.

Notre Dame was able to dominate MSU and then Eastern Michigan came into Spartan Stadium on Saturday and gave the Spartans a scare.

The defense was solid, but the offense was putrid.

There were drops, bad passes and plenty of offensive line issues. The only bright spot was Le’Veon Bell, but he had to do it all himself for the most part.

MSU can’t continue to rely on Bell to take 35 carries a game and survive. It is clear that when Bell is not on the field, the rest of the offense can’t function.

As Big Ten play starts, MSU is in need of a quick fix that might not be coming.

Mark Dantonio is on edge over the offense, as I said in my column for The Oakland Press.

The receivers need to start making plays and that should help Maxwell settle in at quarterback. The early drops seem to be getting into his head and that has led to some bad throws.

Right now, this team is all about Bell and defense and you can’t expect them to be perfect all the time.

Michigan

We all knew Denard Robinson wasn’t a great passer.

But, that had to be frustrating to watch.

The Michigan defense finally had a really solid performance this season, but it was washed away by an awful showing from the offense.

That game was Michigan’s for the taking, but when a team has six turnovers, it is hard to overcome.

I credit Robinson for shouldering all the blame. It shows leadership on his part. His problem is he continues to make amateur mistakes when throwing the ball. When under pressure, he has to throw the ball away or take a sack, not force something into the opposition.

I can understand wanting to make a play, but sometimes the best play to be made is the safest won. The way the defense played on Saturday, Denard didn’t have to win the game, he just had to not lose it. But, he did lose it.

The good news for Michigan is that it seems to be closer to solving its problems than Michigan State right now.

Denard will continue to put up impressive numbers against mediocre Big Ten defenses and the defense should keep improving with each week.

The test will come in those close games and whether Robinson will help or harm the Wolverines.

As great of a player and a weapon that he is, he still has the potential for a meltdown. It is the live by the sword, die by the sword situation that the Michigan offense is in.

Maybe this will be the game gets Robinson more composed and turns the season around. Time will tell.

Big Ten

On a final note, and in all seriousness, is this the worst the Big Ten has ever been?

Predictions for Michigan/MSU in Week 4

Michigan State vs. Eastern Michigan

I will be attending this game and I expect it to be very lopsided. The Spartans should have no trouble on either side of the ball and will use this game to try and improve on their chemistry in the passing game. Similar to what Michigan looked to do last week against UMass, the Spartans will want to see control on the line of scrimmage from the offense and the defense. Look for Andrew Maxwell to have his best game yet as a starter as the Spartans look to get the taste of last week’s loss out of their mouths.

Michigan State 42, Eastern Michigan 6

Michigan vs. Notre Dame

Sure, Denard Robinson has a great history against Notre Dame. But, this doesn’t look to be the same Fighting Irish of past seasons. This team looks better. In fairness, Michigan looks worse than it did a year ago as well. The Wolverine defense has been very suspect against the run and that is something Notre Dame looks to be able to do very well. I expect the Irish to control tempo on offense and keep Michigan’s offense of the field. When Denard is on the field, he has the potential to make a big play, but he will need help from his receivers and good protection from the offensive line. The Notre Dame defense is very strong up front and should make things difficult for him. Michigan always has that “puncher’s chance” with Denard, but I don’t think he will have enough tricks up his sleeve on Saturday night. Notre Dame seems primed to have a 10-win season and make a return to the national picture.

Notre Dame 31, Michigan 20

What ND/EMU are saying about Michigan/MSU

As I do each Thursday, I thought I would see what the opponents for MSU and Michigan are saying about Saturday’s games.

Notre Dame

Earlier this week, the focus for Notre Dame was on moving past Michigan State.

Brian Hamilton, of The Chicago Tribune, has a piece about Brian Kelly quickly having his team forget about last week’s win and thinking about Saturday’s game with the Wolverines

"As soon as we got in the locker room, (Kelly) brought us down to earth," tailback Cierre Wood said. "He said celebrate, but also know this isn't anything. We haven't reached our peak yet. We haven't done anything."

As of Sunday, Notre Dame (3-0) has a sparkly No. 11 ranking, its best since late 2006. It has a bitter rival visiting for another night-game spectacle. And it has the memory of what happened under similar circumstances last year, as it is possible facial bones never set properly after the Irish fell on them.

The article also talks about the injury issues for the Irish as safety Jamoris Slaughter is now out for the year with a torn Achilles’ tendon. Three of the four starters in the Irish secondary are now in their first year of solid game action.

Eastern Michigan

It has already been a long season for Ron English and Eastern Michigan, as the Eagles are off to a 0-3 start.

It probably won’t get much better on Saturday when the Eagles head to East Lansing to face a Michigan State team eager to get the taste of last week’s game out of its mouth.

Joe Rexrode, of The Detroit Free Press, spoke with English about facing MSU and English didn’t see much weakness in the team.

"They look pretty good to me. That's an excellent football team," English said. "I know they dropped a few spots in the polls after that loss, but I think by the end of the year you'll see Michigan State back in the top 10."

The Eagles (0-3) don't appear to have much of a shot at their first win over MSU in nine tries Saturday. They are coming off a 54-16 loss at Purdue, and English's focus is on improvement this week before an off week and full immersion in Mid-American Conference play.

EMU ranks 120th out of 120 FBS teams in rush defense (312.3 a game) and 116th in total defense (514.3). English said his team has been "feast or famine" against the run -- solid for several plays before yielding a big one.

Another interesting note about this game is that EMU running backs coach is Mike Hart, the very same Mike Hart that made the “Little Brother” comments that have sparked the MSU run over Michigan for the last four seasons.

Hart is not taking interview requests this week.

Little Brother Scale after Week 3

Since introducing the Little Brother Scale during the offseason, things had continued to go well for Michigan State.

That all changed on Saturday.

The Spartans were soundly beaten by Notre Dame and their weaknesses coming into the season were amplified by a team that could contain their strengths.

It is too early to know just how good Notre Dame will be, but it is clear that MSU was a bit over-hyped (I include myself in that) after the first two weeks of the season.

With the Spartan performance, the door opens for Michigan to make some progress in the scale.

Not only because Michigan rolled UMass last week, but because the Wolverines face Notre Dame on Saturday.

The Wolverines have a track record of success against the Irish and another win over them would certainly build some confidence for the rest of the season.

Michigan still seems to be battling some issues of its own on the offensive line, which could be a factor on Saturday. Certainly the defense will have to come up with some big plays to keep the Irish to a low point total at home.

Michigan may have the athletes on offense to do what Michigan State couldn’t do, but the Wolverines are going to need someone other than Denard Robinson to step up.

MSU has a cake game against Eastern Michigan, and then the real test of where the Spartans are heading is next week when they host Ohio State.

For now, the Spartans are still ahead, but the gap is a little closer than last week.

LITTLE BROTHER SCALE: MSU 17¼, Michigan 14¾ 

A closer look at non-conference play for MSU & Michigan

The college football season is getting closer and closer with each day.

We are a little under three weeks away from the opening night of games, so I thought I would take a look at both Michigan's & MSU’s non-conference schedules.

Michigan

Toughest Game – Sept. 1 vs. Alabama - Clearly there is no tougher non-conference game in the country than Michigan’s season opener with Alabama at Cowboys Stadium. Though the Crimson Tide lost a great deal from last season’s BCS National Championship squad, there is no doubt that they should be fully reloaded. A win for Michigan seems very improbable, as they are still in the process of getting back into the elite national picture. On the national scale, a win over Alabama would send a huge message that the Wolverines are “back”.

Easiest Game – Sept. 15 vs. UMass – While UMass has had some success in football, they are making the jump from the FCS to the FBS this season. The Wolverines should have little trouble blowing the Minutemen out of the water at home.

Trap Game – Sept. 8 vs. Air Force – Following what should be a physical battle with Alabama, Michigan returns home the next week to face the Falcons. Air Force has had a winning record the last five seasons and they run the triple option, an offense that can be tough to prepare for when you don’t see it often.

Realistic Record – 3-1 – Michigan also makes the dreaded trip to Notre Dame on Sept. 22. I think the Wolverines should go 3-1 in non-conference play if they hope to have a successful season. A 2-2 start would feel like a step back from last year, but winning against Alabama or at Notre Dame will be a tough task.

Michigan State

Toughest Game – Sept. 15 vs. Notre Dame – While Boise State has been stronger on the national scale, I suspect the Broncos won’t quite be the same given all they have lost. Notre Dame has high expectations this year, as do the Spartans. With the game being in East Lansing, this should be one MSU wins. But, you can never count out Brian Kelly and the Irish.

Easiest Game – Sept. 22 vs. Eastern Michigan – The Spartans host the Eagles at home to close out non-conference play. While Ron English has made some strides with EMU, the Michigan State defense should be able to easily shutdown that run-heavy offense.

Trap Game – Sept. 8 at Central Michigan – I know, I know, what a surprise. But, when you look at this game objectively, it really is a trap game. First, this game takes place between the meetings with Boise State and Notre Dame. Second, this game is in Mt. Pleasant. CMU considers it the biggest game in the history of their stadium. That is a tough environment for any team to step into. While the Chippewas have struggled in two years under former MSU assistant Dan Enos, they return a lot of starters this season. I don’t expect CMU to pull off the upset, but I think the setting could make this game a tough one for the Spartans to get past.

Realistic Record – 4-0 – The Spartans have the luxury that the Wolverines don’t in that their two tough games come at home and not on the road. Because of that, Michigan State can go 4-0. Does that mean they will? No. Notre Dame could certainly trip them up, as could Boise State, if the Broncos’ first-year starters can have an immediate impact. Anything less than 3-1 in this stretch would be a disappointment for MSU.