Michigan State Football: How many games can Spartans win in 2019?

The spring game has come and gone and the focus is now on the start of the 2019 season. Will Michigan State football be able to improve?

Redshirt senior quarterback Brian Lewerke had the zip on the pigskin that Spartan fans have grown accustomed to expecting. While the offense was ‘vanilla’ under new offensive coordinator Brad Salem, it was fantastic to watch the green and white get into the end zone.

The defensive line appears to be deep and talented again and junior cornerback Josiah Scott is a stud and looked all the part of a potential first-round choice if he declares after the 2019 campaign.

The running game is still a question mark, but I did witness Lewerke make great decisions with the ball though there were still a few passes I’m sure he would like to have back. However, it was an overall solid performance and he appeared comfortable with his playmakers back.

The start of their redemption tour is against Tulsa on Aug. 30. The Golden Hurricanes have struggled since the 2016 season when they went 10-3. In fact, they went 2-10 in 2017 and 3-9 last year. They should be able to win this game, however, I would not be surprised if the Spartans have a slow start.

Michigan State should be able to win their next two games against Western Michigan and Arizona State — the fact they will not be playing in the desert against ASU will make a difference. The Northwestern game will interesting due to the Wildcats starting a new quarterback who will likely be Hunter Johnson, a former five-star quarterback who transferred from Clemson. The Spartans should beat Northwestern.

They will then face Indiana in East Lansing and again should get the win. This means they go to Ohio State and face the Buckeyes with a 5-0 record. I’m personally not high on Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields, plus the Buckeyes typically start slow out of the gate. Mark Dantonio’s squad can win this game.

The next game is at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisc. This is another winnable game for the Spartans. There is no Alex Hornibrook, he has transferred, but instead, there is a competition between Jack Coan and Graham Mertz. The game is winnable and Coan was unimpressive last season. The Badgers still could be another year away from being really good.

The defense of this Spartan team will be among the elites on the Big Ten and possibly the country. If — and it’s a big if — Michigan State could get decent production out of its offense, it can contend in the East. It plays Penn State in late October and I believe the Spartans will get the best of James Franklin again.

Illinois is next and the Spartans should get this win. They will be 9-0 heading into the showdown with Michigan. However, I do have MSU losing to the Wolverines in Ann Arbor. I believe they will bounce back against Rutgers and Maryland to finish up at 11-1.

It’s a way-too-early prediction because it is anyone’s guess on injuries or position battles that could affect the outcomes. It’ll be interesting to watch how Ohio State and Michigan operate early on. MSU just needs to take care of their business. There are many winnable games on the schedule and the offense needs to do just enough.