Michigan State Football: 5 reasons MSU will be better than Michigan in 2018

3. Defense is dominant once again

This isn’t an area where the two sides are on complete opposite levels like the offensive line, but Michigan State’s defense will keep pace with Michigan’s in 2018, and the separation on the offensive side of the ball will set the two programs apart.

Michigan State’s defense is back to dominating. 

The days of Pat Narduzzi’s aggressive defenses are long gone, but defensive coordinator Mike Tressel is excited about his new opportunity and he has plenty of pieces at his disposal.

Let’s start with the secondary. Michigan State returns all four starters back there — although Josiah Scott will miss a month with an injury — and people are already dubbing the No Fly Zone “back”.

At linebacker, the Wolverines may hold the advantage here, but Michigan State’s unit is nothing short of impressive with Joe Bachie and Andrew Dowell leading the way. These guys will help Michigan State repeat its dominant run defense from 2017.

And up front, the defensive line is underrated but lacking ideal depth. The coaches have already said there’s not much drop-off from the ones to the twos, and that’s music to Spartan fans’ ears.

Both teams will have elite defenses, but all the Spartans need to do is show they aren’t in the Wolverines’ shadow on this side of the ball. Yes, Michigan State plays lock-down defense, too.