Michigan State Football: Expert picks Spartans to make 2019 CFB Playoff

Michigan State football has had a mixed bag of expectations heading into 2019 but one expert thinks the Spartans will make the playoff.

Predicting this year’s College Football Playoff field after Alabama and Clemson is a toss-up. Everyone at this point is just fighting for the No. 3 and No. 4 spots because it’s just assumed that the Crimson Tide and Tigers will be back.

The Big Ten got shut out last season with Oklahoma and Notre Dame making it to the playoff despite Ohio State being right on the verge of making it.

Where does the Big Ten stand heading into 2019? Ohio State and Michigan are the two favorites to win the conference, but one CBS Sports expert from Inside College Football chose the Spartans to not only win the league but represent the Big Ten in the College Football Playoff.

Brian Jones, a former NFL linebacker, made the selection of Georgia and Clemson as the top two teams but his choice for No. 3 was the Spartans. At No. 4, he picked Oregon, so in this scenario, the Spartans would face Clemson and Alabama wouldn’t even make the field.

While this would be a monumental shock, no Michigan State fan is all that surprised with some of the love the team has been getting. With even an average offense, the Spartans would have won 10-11 games last season. They have a playoff-worthy defense and the reigning No. 1 scoring defense in the conference and top run-stopping unit in the nation.

A playoff berth is possible but not exactly likely unless the offense makes major strides.

What do you think of this prediction by Jones? It’s nice to see Mark Dantonio and the Spartans getting some respect nationally, but they have to earn it after their mediocre 2018 campaign.