MSU game-by-game predictions from Matt Charboneau
Click through the gallery above to view Matt Charboneau's game-by-game predictions for Michigan State's football season. (Go HEREif you have trouble viewing the gallery.)
Michigan State’s fall from the College Football Playoff to a 3-9 season in 2016 was arguably the most startling storyline of the year in college football, but getting that turned around will be no simple task.
The Spartans will be young and inexperienced in plenty of positions this fall and will have the added difficulty of taking in their top rivals — Michigan and Ohio State — on the road. They get Penn State at home and avoid crossover games with Wisconsin and Nebraska, but a trip to Northwestern will be tough, as will a visit to Minnesota.
The non-conference schedule could be tricky, too, as Bowling Green and Western Michigan are rebuilding but dangerous, and Notre Dame comes to Spartan Stadium with an offense that might be able to make up for a defense that struggled mightily in 2016.
While it might all add up to what Michigan State has become accustomed to under Mark Dantonio — that is, competing for championships — it should end with a bowl bid and some signs that things are headed back in the right direction.
mcharboneau@detroitnews.com
twitter.com/mattcharboneau