Friday night college football is here once again. I’ve always loved these games that stand out more than they otherwise would on a Friday. For this one, we’ll take a look at Michigan State vs. Western Michigan. I’ll offer a free pick at the end of this article.
Michigan State Spartans vs. Western Michigan Broncos
Date/Time: Friday, September 4, 7:00 pm ET
TV: ESPNU
College Football Betting Odds from myBookie.ag (100% Bonus Available here)
College Football Betting Favorite: Michigan State -17.5
Total: 58
It’s almost unheard of for a Mid American school to get to host a Big Ten opponent. It’s even more amazing that the Big Ten team they are hosting is a top five ranked team. Western Michigan hosts Michigan State on Friday night in Kalamazoo.
Michigan State
The Michigan State Spartans have gone 13-1 and 11-2 in the past two seasons. Mark Dantonio is one of the most underrated coaches in the country. Connor Cook will be a great senior leader at the quarterback spot. The Spartans offensive line is one of the best in the country. Michigan State’s defensive line might be the single best in the nation. When you are that good in the trenches, you can be tough to beat. Michigan State has very high aspirations for the season ahead.
Michigan State does need to replace Jeremy Langford at the running back spot and they are without their two best receivers from last year, so there are some questions at the skill positions. The defense won’t have Pat Narduzzi leading it, but with their talent and a great defensive mind like Dantonio as the head coach, I trust this defense to once again be elite.
The question for this game is whether Michigan State will be terribly interested in the game or not. Michigan State has a huge game at home against Oregon next weekend.
Western Michigan
P.J. Fleck is only 34 years old, but he’s doing an amazing job with this Western Michigan program. He’s one of the brightest young minds in the game. Look for him to get a bigger job sometime in the next couple years. Fleck has done a tremendous job recruiting, and the team started putting it together last year. They went 8-5 in 2014, and the Broncos return 16 starters from a year ago.
Jarvion Franklin was the MAC Offensive Player of the Year as a freshman last year. He racked up 1,551 yards and 24 rushing touchdowns. Zach Terrell completed 68% of his passes, and he’s back to lead the team for his sophomore season. They return their top eight wide receivers from last year. Western Michigan will be loaded on the offensive end. The question in this game is can their offense line hold up against Michigan State’s amazing defensive front.The Western Michigan defense allowed 35.4 points per game two years ago and only 24.9 last season. They don’t play against many offenses as good as this one though, so this is a major test for the defense.
Michigan State vs. Western Michigan Free Pick: Western Michigan +17.5
The atmosphere should be terrific, and I expect Western Michigan to build off their home crowd. This game means a lot more to Western Michigan than it does to Michigan State. The Spartans have bigger fish to fry. The Spartans are definitely capable of blowing out Western Michigan, but on this night I think it’s more likely that the underdog covers.
Since 2010, $1,000 per game bettors are up $139,500 on my plays. Want to try my plays out for a month for only $1? I have a special plan available for that. To find out about that contact me on Twitter or email me at kyle@huntersportspicks.com. Also, sign up for the newsletter at the top of the page for free sports picks and subscribe to my new podcast on iTunes.
Good luck this season!
