Dr. Green and White Sports Authority

During the summer, I think a lot of MSU fans correctly surmised that this late September portion of the schedule would likely be the fulcrum that would ultimately decide whether the 2017 version of the Spartans would wind up on the pleasant or unpleasant side of 6 wins. MSU had a great opportunity to make a resounding statement last week against the Irish, but mistakes and turnovers derailed that train early on and that opportunity was lost. Now, with the Iowa Hawkeyes coming to town, that opportunity arises once again, only this time, the stakes are much, much higher. First, it is a conference game and the conference standings matter. Losing to the Irish sucked, but it ultimately cost MSU very little in the big picture. But, most importantly, the way the schedule breaks down, I would wager that the result of this game will ultimately determine or at least forecast the eventual destiny of this team. So, in other words, this is a very, very big game. Right now, my model has MSU with on...

Spartan fans have had to deal with a lot of sudden changes over the past 24 months or so: a football playoff blowout, a historic (in a bad way) March basketball upset, followed by a summer and fall of tragedy. The 2016 season came with the hope of reloading. After that glorious night in South Bend, the Spartan rivalry trophy case was full, and another march to Indy seemed attainable. Then, everything changed, maybe not suddenly, but definitively.  After a historic (also in a bad way) Big Ten campaign, the Spartans limped into the off-season only to experience scandal and a different type of human tragedy which ultimately led to a sudden change in MSU’s roster. As we fast forward to the 2017 season, things were rolling a bit in East Lansing. Perhaps things had changed for the better. The Spartans were starting to show glimpses of those same old Spartans (in a good way) that had risen to top of the Big Ten at the beginning of the current decade.  And for one last time (in all li...

MSU is back in action this weekend and honestly, it is kind of a big deal. It’s a night game in Spartan stadium, with lots of recruits in the house, on national TV, with the stadium striped, against a rival who also happens to be one of the storied programs in college football (at least in their minds). If nothing else, the winner gets to keep the Megaphone for almost a decade, and I would be lying if I said I don’t care about that. I want the freaking Megaphone. It is nice, and I like to have nice things. For better or worse, both teams also seem to be at a bit of a cross roads. The two teams combined for only 7 wins last year, and while some (stupid people) question MSU's ability to stay relevant in the Big Ten East, a lot more people question if Brian Kelly should even be coaching in South Bend. MSU is probably the team that will want to win the game more, as it would make a strong statement that the dumpster fire of a season last year is solidly in the rear-view mirror and that...

In this space, I usually spend a few words reflecting on MSU’s performance this weekend, but since this week was a bye week, there is literally nothing to say about actual football. Even in the big picture, it is honestly hard to say much more about the prognosis for this season than it was back in late August. MSU looks a little better than I expected and has remained healthy. MSU has 2 wins secured already, and some of MSU’s upcoming opponents (such as Northwestern, Rutgers, and dare I say both Ohio State and Michigan) look weaker than advertised. These are all good things. But, some of MSU’s other opponents (namely Penn State, Maryland, and Indiana) look better than expected while the other three (Notre Dame, Iowa, and Minnesota) the jury is still out on for me. So, what does this all mean? Well, I decided to check the math and my spreadsheet now says that MSU is “expected” to win 5.7 games total (based on my projected spreads) which also translates to a 55% chance of winning 6 or ...

As mid-September approaches, MSU has now already achieved the same number of both home wins as well as wins over FBS opponents as they got in all of 2016. That is a heck of an accomplishment for just two weeks, so you know what guys? Just take it easy this week. Sit back, relax and watch a little football just like the rest of us. Or, maybe head down to Houston to help a little with the hurricane relief. That is certainly a noble cause, and MSU might even get a little positive P.R. out of it. That is, as long as Harbaugh doesn’t do something crazy like rescue a puppy from a tree (who knew that puppy could climb a tree?) and block out all other news this weekend, like a one man solar news eclipse. I peg those odds at 50-50. In the meantime, although the games are not predicted to be as competitive this week, I still see a few potentially intriguing match-ups National Overview and My Spreadsheet Picks As usual, the plot above shows the opening Vegas spread compared to the projecte...

The more things change, the more they stay the same. For MSU fans, we saw yet another perfect day of September weather in East Lansing as MSU beat another MAC team by the final score of MSU 28, Darius Phillips 14. Yet again, MSU’s D did not give up TD, and yet again the offense did, but not due to an interception. Yet again, the two best running backs on the team appeared to be Darrell Stewart and Brian Lewerke. And, yet again, I left the stadium feeling pretty good. This team looks like an “old” Mark Dantonio team to me. During the radio post-game show, I felt like the players sounded like members of an “old” Mark Dantonio team. I could hear that magical combination of hunger and confidence. After two strong (but not perfect) performances, now the team will get a week to take a short break and focus on huge 3-game stretch that will essentially reveal if this MSU team is a contender, if they are dangerous but still a year away, or if those last two games on the schedule are going to be...

Week 1 was a nice little warm-up for the rest of the season. In some ways, it was like a delicious appetizer that serves as the first course to a fancy party. Right now, the guests are still milling around and chatting before each family needs to go to their own tables for the main course (starting roughly in October, with dessert served in December and January). Sure, some guests just ate cupcakes in Week 1, but others enjoyed some amazing steak tips, while still others, well, they choked. But this second round of appetizers really looks intriguing. In some ways, I think that Week 2 might be the most interesting week of the year. One reason is that the Vegas spreads suggest that there will be a ton of competitive games. Furthermore, Week 1 answered some questions, but it also simply provided a whole series of single data points for equations with two variables, which still leaves an awful lot of unknows. Is Texas really that bad, or is Maryland just that good? Are Washington and Louis...

Let’s be honest.  It has been a rough couple of months for us Spartan football fans. After suffering through a 3-9 season and multiple off-the-field issues, we get to Spring only to see the Red Wings playoff streak come to an end, followed by an underwhelming Tigers season that ended with a fire sale.  So, for me, this Saturday’s game was perhaps a bit more satisfying than your usual Week 1 debut.  The weather was great. Campus looked great, and the team looked… pretty decent in cruising to the final score of MSU 35, LJ Scott Errors 10, and BGSU 0.  Sure, there was a bit of adversity to overcome in first half (because apparently, the team needed a little more), but I was never under the impression that the Falcon offense was going to be able to make more than a handful of good plays for the entire afternoon.  MSU’s defense gave a very solid first effort.  As for the offense, Brain Lewerke had a bit of a shaky start, but wound up leading the team in passing,...