Michigan State Football: Ranking 2022 opponents by toughness

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Michigan State Spartans quarterback Payton Thorne (10) is tackled by Maryland Terrapins defensive lineman Ami Finau (55) during second half action Saturday, Nov. 13, 2021 at Spartan Stadium.Msu Mary /

Taulia Tagovailoa is one of the best quarterbacks in the Big Ten and the Maryland receiving corps will be up there near the top of the league as well. This offense will put up numbers.

The defense, however, was not good.

Plus, the Terrapins are always good for a few weeks before fading into the background in the Big Ten East standings and Oct. 1 may be the start of that downfall. Playing in College Park isn’t going to be easy, especially if this happens to be a night game.

PJ Fleck has Minnesota trending in the right direction and some believe the Golden Gophers might contend for the Big Ten West title this season. This will be a tough crossover game and thankfully Michigan State gets Minnesota in East Lansing because playing in Minneapolis is a trap.

Tanner Morgan returns at quarterback after a disappointing season and all of his top targets return, but the offense was not entirely effective last year. The defense was really good, however, which is going to make this matchup really interesting. Was the defense only good because it played a very tame schedule after Ohio State in the opener? We’ll find out on Sept. 24.

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