Michigan State Season Odds
EAST LANSING, MI (TheSpread) – Only one college football team was ranked in the top 5 of the final USA Today Top 25 rankings the last two seasons. That team is Michigan State. Will the Spartans do it again in 2015?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, Michigan State is currently listed with 25/1 odds to win the College Football Playoffs this upcoming season. The Spartans are getting odds of +600 to win the Big 12 conference this year, while their over/under total for wins has been set at 9.5
Mark Dantonio is entering his ninth season at Michigan State and he has had at least 11 wins in four of his last five seasons, including one Big Ten title in 2014. MSU went 11-2 last season and 7-1 in Big Ten play. Both losses came at the hands of the two teams that played in the football playoff title game, Ohio State and Oregon. The season ended with a 42-41 win over Baylor in the Cotton Bowl despite the Spartans trailing by 20 entering the fourth quarter.
Unlike previous seasons when MSU had a dominant defense and an offense that struggled, the 2014 Spartans had one of the best offenses in the country and the defense was sometimes a weakness. The offense averaged 43 points and 500.8 yards per game while the defense held opponents to just 21.5 points per contest. The defense could struggle more this year as Pat Narduzzi, the defensive coordinator, left to take over the program at Pitt. The offense lost running back Jeremy Langford, who rushed for 1,522 yards and 22 TDs, but it returns quarterback Connor Cook, who is a Heisman candidate after he threw for 3,214 yards and 24 touchdowns in 2014.
The Spartans have a schedule they can navigate somewhat easily outside of a few games. It begins at Western Michigan and featured non-conference home games with Central Michigan, Air Force, and then a big one with Oregon. With that game at home and Oregon replacing Marcus Mariota, the Spartans should be favored. When it comes to Big Ten play, MSU gets to host Purdue, Indiana, Maryland and Penn State. Road trips will be made to Rutgers, Michigan, Nebraska and Ohio State. The meeting with Ohio State is obviously tough, and road trips against Michigan and Nebraska will be challenging as well. If the Spartans maintain their high-level of defensive play, it should be another 10-win season for MSU. A win over Oregon early will certainly set the table for that.
Bet on College Football Futures Odds
Want More From TheSpread.com? Follow us on Twitter and Facebook or Subscribe to Our News Feeds!