2008 Michigan State Spartans College Football Predictions Courtesy of Alex Smart, An Expert College Football Handicapper featured on Touthouse.com. If you are betting college football this year, be sure to buy Alex Smart’s college football picks each week and guarantee a winning season!!

Michigan State Spartans (7-6, 3-5 in 2007, 8th place in Big 10)
Though the Spartans finished eighth in the Big 10 last season, their four out of conference wins assured them of their first bowl appearance in the past four seasons. However, replacing the offensive production of RB Jehuu Caulcrick (21 touchdowns in 2007) and WR Devin Thomas (1260 yards receiving and eight touchdowns in 2007) will be a tall task for this team in 2008.

Offensive Outlook: Michigan State had one of the best offenses in the Big 10 last season, averaging 33.1 PPG with a balanced attack that averaged 417 YPG. Though Caulcrick and Thomas have left, senior QB Brian Hoyer (2725 passing yards, 20 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions in 2007) and star RB Javon Ringer (1447 rushing yards and six touchdowns) return to HC Mark Dantonio’s squad. The question for this group is can they sustain the numbers that they put up last season.

Defensive Outlook: The Spartans have not had a solid defense in years and if they expect to compete against the Ohio State’s and the Penn State’s of the Big 10, then the defense will need to improve by leaps and bounds. Only six starters from 2007 return to this group which will be anchored by the secondary and SS Otis Wiley who led the team with four interceptions last season en route to an Honorable Mention spot on the Big 10 All-Conference team.

2008 Outlook: Sparty starts the season with a difficult road test at California and has two relatively tough non-conference games at home against Notre Dame and Florida Atlantic before starting conference play. Though the Spartans don’t have to play Illinois, not having cellar dweller Minnesota on their conference slate deprives them of a winnable game. If Hoyer continues to improve and Ringer or another RB can fill Caulcrick’s short yardage role then the Spartans will have a very good offense again in 2008.

2008 will be a success if… The Spartans can make back-to-back bowl appearances for the first time in over a decade and at least get to .500 in conference play.With 13 returning starters, the Spartans can compete in 2008 but will need the defense to vastly improve and a WR to step in for Devin Thomas if the Spartans want to be mentioned amongst the Big 10 elite in ‘08.

Prediction: 6-6, 8th place in Big 10

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