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3 reasons Michigan State football will "upset" Michigan in Week 9

I'm feeling good about this game.

By Connor Muldowney

Oct 4, 2024; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Michigan State Spartans head coach Jonathan Smith during the second half in a game against the Oregon Ducks at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images
Oct 4, 2024; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Michigan State Spartans head coach Jonathan Smith during the second half in a game against the Oregon Ducks at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images / Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images
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It's that time of the year again: Hate Week. Well, it's coming to an end as the game is mere hours away from kicking off, but Michigan State football has its best odds to win in years.

That's right, according to DraftKings, the Spartans are just 4-point underdogs heading into Saturday evening's game which is incredible because that number has dwindled down from around 24 in the preseason. Michigan State has been trending in the right direction while Michigan is slowly fading.

The battle between two first-year coaches will be interesting to watch but here's why I think Jonathan Smith and the Spartans best Sherrone Moore and the Wolverines.

1. The coaching advantage

I kind of already touched on this but Michigan State has been trending in the right direction because of Smith and his ability to out-coach his opponents. The Wolverines are fading because, well, it seems like Moore might be in slightly over his head. It was easy for him to win games when he replaced a suspended Jim Harbaugh last year because the head coach was still there to help.

Now Moore is on his own and his lack of experience is showing.

Smith is one of the best coaches in the Big Ten and he's shown that this season. Even in losses to Ohio State, Boston College, and Oregon, the Spartans never really felt "blown out" or out-classed. Heck, they should've beaten Boston College and they were a few mistakes away from making the Ohio State game closer. Smith can flat-out coach a football team.

This wide gap in coaching ability will be on display on Saturday night.

2. A potential major missing star

Will Johnson is the best player Michigan has on either side of the ball and there's a chance that he could be out on Saturday. And if he's playing, he likely won't be 100 percent.

That's bad news for that defense.

Nick Marsh has been feasting on inferior defensive backs all season and he's going to continue that if Johnson misses the game. Even if he plays, it'll only take 1-2 deep balls to break the game open against a hampered Johnson. If he's out, I love Michigan State's chances. If Johnson plays, I like the Spartans' chances.

3. Michigan's offense is a shell of itself

A year ago, Michigan's offense was humming. The Wolverines had one of the best quarterbacks in the country as well as a two-headed monster in the backfield with one of the best offensive lines, too.

This year? It's quite the opposite.

Michigan has one of the worst quarterback rooms in the FBS and Kalel Mullings is essentially the only offensive weapons outside of Colston Loveland (who gets him the ball, though?) who has a pulse.

With Michigan State's defense playing much better this year under Joe Rossi than it ever did under Scottie Hazelton, I see Michigan State eating up that offense and keeping it in check much like it did to Iowa for 90 percent of the game.

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