Bet Michigan State Spartans – Third Place For Sparty?

2009 Michigan State Spartans Betting Recap

Online betting experts know that Michigan State has a long history of failing to reach higher standards. The 2009 narrative was defined by still more frustration in East Lansing. The Spartans could never quite catch a big break. Part of it was their own fault, with a brain cramp costing them late in a loss to Notre Dame, but part of it was the miracle factor with Central Michigan catching lightning in a stunning upset. Six of the seven losses were extremely winnable – the one true blowout was a 42-14 pasting from Penn State – while only one win came against a bowl team (Northwestern). The offense couldn’t find anything from the running game on a regular basis and the defense sputtered and struggled against every quarterback who could throw a forward pass. A campus fight depleted the ranks for the bowl game, but most of the key players from the suspension will be back in 2010.

The biggest disappointment for MSU was its 1-3 start. While two of those losses were in non-conference play, the sluggish beginning set the tone for the rest of the year. It took a late defensive breakdown, penalties, an onside kick, and a few field goal attempts for Central Michigan to pull off a 29-27 win over Sparty, and a horrible interception thrown by quarterback by Kirk Cousins meant a loss to Notre Dame. Just when the team seemed to get the season rolling, it couldn’t come up with a late stop in a rough 15-13 loss to Iowa, and the team didn’t get its head back the following week in an inexplicable loss to Minnesota the following week.

2010 Preview To Bet Michigan State Spartans

NCAA football betting students should not be betting with the Spartans against the Big Ten’s powers. A sports betting analyst would have to conclude that coach Mark Dantonio is fighting against the odds in his attempt to win the conference crown. MSU always seems to pull a face-plant in a big game, and is the equivalent of Charlie Brown compared to Ohio State’s Lucy. The Spartans always wind up being emotionally devastated after facing the elite teams in their league. They might win seven or eight games in the regular season, nine in a perfect storm, but a top-two finish in the Big Ten has regularly been elusive.

With respect to MSU’s schedule, there are some significant drawbacks. There’s no Indiana on the slate, and the four Big Ten road games are at Michigan, Northwestern, Iowa and Penn State. Yes, getting Wisconsin in East Lansing is nice, but the three other conference home games (Illinois, Minnesota, and Purdue) might be winnable on the road.

Aside from schedule concerns, there’s plenty of experience returning, but the defense has a long way to go before it’s at a Big Ten title level. The secondary gave up way too many big plays and it’ll be without two starters. Maybe this team sneaks in for third place behind Ohio State and Iowa; that’s just about the best that a Spartan fan can expect these days. Pick OSU, Iowa, and Penn State whenever those three teams face Michigan State in 2010.