Michigan State Football: 3 bold predictions for second half of 2021

1. Michigan State beats two of Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State

Before the season, I would have given Michigan State a 25 percent chance to beat one of Michigan, Ohio State, and Penn State, but my expectations have been adjusted.

After a 6-0 start, the Spartans are looking like serious contenders for the Big Ten title and in order to win that, they need to fare well against East foes like Michigan, Penn State, and Ohio State. The Spartans control their own destiny, however, and if they can win at least two of those games, there’s a good chance they’ll be heading to Indianapolis in December.

So I think Michigan State will battle Indiana to the wire and take a close game against the Hoosiers before a bye. They’ll then host Michigan where I see the Spartans pulling off an important win.

With wins over Indiana and Michigan to end the month of October, the Spartans will head to West Lafayette with an 8-0 record and they’ll handle the Boilermakers in a closer-than-expected road battle. They’ll take down Maryland the following weekend as well.

Sitting at 10-0 before the Ohio State game, the Spartans have a decent shot of pulling off a 2015-esque win in Columbus, but I just don’t see that happening.

Michigan State will rebound in the finale to beat Penn State and finish the year with a shocking 11-1 record. Two wins against the ‘Big 3’ Big Ten East foes this year is a huge accomplishment.