Michigan State Football: Bowl projections after Western Kentucky win

Who would have thought that after five games this season, Michigan State football would be 5-0 and ready to become bowl eligible before mid-October?

It’s truly been a wild ride this season and over the past year, but Mel Tucker has shown that he can be one of the best coaches in the Big Ten. All of the preseason doubt and lack of respect for the team has come back to bite the media and opposing fans as many projected Michigan State to finish with 4-5 wins max, and here the Spartans are with five and seven games remaining.

Coming off a 17-point win over Western Kentucky, the Spartans look like one of the best teams in the country as they’re ranked No. 11 and they’re one of five Big Ten teams in the top 15.

Michigan State wasn’t projected to even make a bowl game after the first couple weeks of the year, but after the past few wins, everyone is starting to give it some recognition as a potential New Year’s Day bowl-bound team.

The Spartans were projected to make a couple of different New Year’s Day bowls after last weekend’s Nebraska win. What about after the Western Kentucky win?

Where do experts have Michigan State football playing?

It’s hard to believe that this team was projected to win 4.5 games by Vegas, but a lot of people made some money betting the over after Week 5.

The Spartans also weren’t a bowl team. Now they are. But where?

• CBS Sports projects the Spartans in the Citrus Bowl against a 5-0 Kentucky team on Jan. 1 in Orlando.
• USA Today has Michigan State in the Citrus Bowl as well, facing Florida.
• Sporting News Michigan State in the Outback Bowl against Florida.
• Bleacher Report also has the same Outback Bowl matchup for the Spartans against the Gators.
• And 247Sports also has the same Outback Bowl matchup with Michigan State vs. Florida.

Michigan State went from a projected bowl-less team to a New Year’s Day-bound team in just five games.