Michigan State Football: Best, worst and most likely scenarios for 2021

Best-case scenario for Michigan State football

Mel Tucker’s first season in East Lansing wasn’t quite what he had hoped for, but struggles were expected with a makeshift roster and none of his own players.

Now that he’s done a complete flip of talent from last season until this one with 15 added transfers from the portal and over a dozen players transferring out, it’s safe to say Michigan State should be better, on paper, in 2021.

And with the schedule the Spartans have in 2021, making a bowl game isn’t out of the question, but let’s go one step further and talk best-case scenario.

Best-case scenario, Michigan State opens the season with a win at Northwestern and then against Youngstown State to open non-conference play. I just don’t see them beating Miami on the road so we’ll go with a loss there, but they should bounce back with three straight wins over Nebraska, Western Kentucky, and Rutgers.

Losing at Indiana is likely and that will still fit the best-case scenario here as the Spartans head into the bye with a 5-2 record and get an extra week to prepare for Michigan.

Michigan State will topple Michigan for a second straight year under Tucker in this scenario, becoming bowl eligible by November.

The Spartans will then beat Maryland and Purdue to improve to 8-2 before ending the season with losses to Penn State and Ohio State. Those last two losses are expected and if you told me that an 8-4 season was possible and it would be the best-case scenario in Tucker’s second year, I’d take it every time. Anything from 9-3 to 8-4 would be best-case scenario.