Pat Fitzgerald has had this day circled on his calendar for quite some time. He probably never expected it to be a conference game, but he knew that he would one day face his former school where he starred as both a player and a coach.
Saturday’s Michigan State vs Northwestern game is more than just a must-win for the Spartans’ bowl hopes, but it’s a revenge game for both Fitzgerald and Aidan Chiles.
Fitzgerald spent his entire head coaching career at Northwestern after starring there as a linebacker. He was then let go amid some controversy and now, three years later, he’s finally gotten another shot with a new team and he gets the opportunity to spoil his ex-program’s playoff-hopeful season. An upset would make for one heck of a storyline.
As for Chiles, he spent the past two seasons in East Lansing after following Jonathan Smith over from Oregon State. He was the No. 1 transfer quarterback but he didn’t live up to expectations which had a lot to do with poor coaching. Now that he’s in an offense with some juice, he’s flourishing.
One side has to get some revenge on Saturday, but Vegas isn’t buying into the upset talk for the Spartans.
Note: Odds come from DraftKings as of Saturday, Oct. 17
Line: Michigan State +7
Over/Under: 49.5
Moneyline: Michigan State +240 | Northwestern -298
Who wins the Pat Fitzgerald Bowl?
On paper, Northwestern should rip Michigan State to shreds. The injury report was not kind to Michigan State this week as the Spartans will be without several key players including Jordan Hall, Brady Pretzlaff, Charles Brantley, and Tre Bell. That’s four starters on the defensive side of the ball trying to stop the most-improved quarterback in the Big Ten.
Not exactly a recipe for success.
But you can’t ever underestimate the power of buying in. These players are sticking around and fighting through what feels like rock-bottom and they nearly pulled off a wild second-half comeback as a home underdog last week. The Spartans are starting to believe.
Although I’m not saying Michigan State is going to go full “Spoilermakers” the rest of the season, there is a vibe in East Lansing that this storm is just temporary and good things are coming. One upset against a Top 25 visitor would go a long way for this program.
Unfortunately, the team is just going to run out of gas in the fourth quarter after the defense struggles to get any stops and the offense win on its own.
Chiles is going to get his revenge while Fitzgerald will have to wait until next season in Evanston. That would really be something.
Final Score: Northwestern 31, Michigan State 24
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