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Bowl projections for Michigan State football following Week 8 win

These matchups would be fun.

By Connor Muldowney

Oct 19, 2024; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Michigan State Spartans place kicker Jonathan Kim (97) sings with his team as he celebrates kicking six field goals against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Young-Imagn Images
Oct 19, 2024; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Michigan State Spartans place kicker Jonathan Kim (97) sings with his team as he celebrates kicking six field goals against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Young-Imagn Images / Dale Young-Imagn Images
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What a win Michigan State football secured in Week 8 over a solid Iowa team in East Lansing. Vegas had the Spartans losing that game and it also believed that Michigan State wouldn't surpass 4.5 wins this season.

Vegas can be wrong, it turns out, and Michigan State was able to dominate Iowa from start to finish en route to a 32-20 homecoming win. This got the Spartans over .500 and they're staring down bowl eligibility with five games remaining. All Michigan State has to do over the next five games is go 2-3 and it faces Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Purdue, and Rutgers.

There are easily two-plus winnable games there. Heck, there are five.

Anyways, let's talk about what would happen if Michigan State did reach the 6-win mark for the first time since 2021. The experts have projected the bowl matchups for Michigan State and they believe that the Spartans will reach six wins and head to the postseason.

Here are the post-Iowa win projections:

ESPN: GameAbove Sports Bowl (Dec. 26) vs. Toledo OR Rate Bowl (Dec. 26) vs. UCF
CBS Sports: GameAbove Sports Bowl (Dec. 26) vs. Eastern Michigan
Bleacher Report: GameAbove Sports Bowl (Dec. 26) vs. Eastern Michigan
Athlon Sports: GameAbove Sports Bowl (Dec. 26). vs. Toledo
247Sports: First Responder Bowl (Jan. 3) vs. Arizona State
The Action Network: Birmingham Bowl (Dec. 27) vs. NC State
Sports Illustrated: 68 Ventures Bowl (Dec. 26) vs. Marshall

The common projection is the GameAbove Sports Bowl on Dec. 26 in Detroit. Yes, this is the former Little Caesars and Quick Lane Bowl and it would pin the Spartans against a MAC opponent like Toledo or Eastern Michigan.

The First Responder Bowl projection by 247Sports would be fun because it would unleash the whole Sam Leavitt vs. his former team storyline.

It looks like most major publications believe Michigan State will be bowling this year -- USA Today was the only one that I saw without a Spartan bowl projection.

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