Michigan State football opens as small betting favorite vs. FAU

Michigan State football's first season under Jonathan Smith is still about three months away, but we are at the point in the offseason where it's impossible not to be anxiously looking forward to the start of the season. Sure summer recruiting is about to go in full swing throughout the month of June, but that still doesn't eliminate the thoughts about the upcoming season and fans projecting the Spartans' record.

This also is the time when sportsbooks begin releasing their lines for some of the early season games. And that is the case for Michigan State's week one matchup against Florida Atlantic, where the Spartans are a smaller favorite than I would have guessed.

That's right, Michigan State is only an 11-point favorite at home against FAU. Eleven points is a pretty large margin in college football, but not in early-season non-conference matchups against an inferior opponent like FAU.

So what gives? Why is Michigan State such a small favorite?

To be fair to the sportsbooks, Michigan State is coming off two straight seasons of missing a bowl game. But this team already looks vastly different from the previous two seasons.

The coaching staff is completely different and new players are all over the field on both sides of the ball. And these aren't just random players either, most of them have a lot of college experience already and are projected to be major contributors this season.

There's no denying that this team has a lot of question marks as they head into the season, but this line just feels disrespectful. Add this to the fact that MSU's over/under win total is only at 4.5 and you can see that the sportsbooks don't love Michigan State.

I however am excited for the team to prove them wrong and shatter this line on opening night in Spartan Stadium.