Michigan State Football: Ranking Spartans’ 2020 opponents by toughness

Penn State returns Sean Clifford and Journey Brown which will make for a deadly quarterback-running back duo. The defense will be solid once again and the Nittany Lions are looking like a top 10 team in college football heading into Week 1 of Big Ten action.

By this point in the season, Penn State will be clicking on all cylinders. Hitting the road to face this team potentially in a snowy Saturday afternoon matchup won’t be easy and this is just slightly ahead of those pesky Wolverines. A lot has to do with when the Spartans face each team and the fact that Penn State has a veteran quarterback returning.

It should come as no surprise that Ohio State will be the toughest opponent Michigan State faces this season. The Buckeyes are already presumed Big Ten champs for 2020 and it would be shocking if anyone else won the league. This team is as loaded as any in college football and a playoff berth seems likely.

Even though Michigan State usually plays the Buckeyes tough, we have to remember Mark Dantonio is no longer in town. He’s not walking through those doors to help pull off a miraculous upset over the Buckeyes again.

Justin Fields may be your Heisman front-runner by this point of the year and Ohio State may very well be No. 1 coming into East Lansing.