Happy bye week Spartan fans! Michigan State has the weekend off and once again it seems to have come at the perfect time. The Spartans are coming off back-to-back losses. The first was an emotional loss to the in-state rivals from down the road, and the second was a 37-point butt-kicking by yet another top 10 team. The biggest concern coming out of last weekend's loss to Indiana is the health of sophomore quarterback Aidan Chiles. The good news is that on Monday, Coach Jonathan Smith told the media that he expects Chiles to be ready to play in two weeks at Illinois. In the mean time, the good doctor recommends that the Spartan players, coaches, and fans just relax, ice those sore joints, and get physically and mentally ready for the final three, very winnable games on the schedule. As for this week, data never sleeps, I am will continue to provide some insight (and a few betting suggestions) for the action in the Big Ten and beyond. Big Ten Overview Table 1 below gives a full sum
Michigan State's 47-10 loss to the Indiana Hoosiers on Saturday played out in a very similar manner to the loss to Ohio State back in Week Five. The Spartans got off to a surprising good start and looked like they might be able to trade blows and hang with a talented opponent. But then, at some point in the second quarter, the wheels came off, momentum was lost, and things started to snowball. By the end of the game, the Spartans were buried and fans left Spartan Stadium feeling cold. While I was disappointed by the outcome, I was not surprised. Indiana proved that they are a legit top 10 opponent. But I was surprised by the snowballing set of negative emotions from Spartan fan online following the loss. It seems a vocal sector on the fanbase now thinks the sky is falling. In times like these, it is important to view the results of the season so far in their proper perspective. One of the reasons that I like to dive so far in the numbers is that they provide a truly unbiased realit