Is Michigan State's Resume Overrated?
Apologies if anyone else has already performed a deeper dive into Sparty's resume up until this point. I was just taking a look and realized that, while Michigan State is certainly a very good team, there are some fluky things to consider when evaluating them up until this point:
-No one circled the MSU game on their calendar prior to the season (up until this point in time anyway). Not having the burden of big expectations and not getting your opponents' best shots makes a difference.
-Beating Nebraska was nothing short of a fluke. Granted, Nebraska is a solid team and there is no shame in losing to them. But how would our perceptions of Michigan State be different had they lost to Nebraska at home?
-Indiana was an ugly performance and while this type of things happens, it's worth noting that this contest took place right before their bye week. In other words, it's difficult to argue that Sparty was looking past their opponent with an eye toward the following week.
-The Miami game really shifted people's opinions but that was before we knew how mediocre Miami is. In addition, Michigan State was facing 4th down on the 40 yard line with four and a half minutes to play while holding a one score lead. In other words, with less than 5 minutes to play in the entire game, no one was confident who would leave with a victory. That's not the impression you get from looking at the final score (38-17).
I'm worried about Cade (who isn't?) and I suspect the real X factors in this game will be our linebackers and safeties avoiding mental mistakes and not missing tackles, which is easier said than done. But upon closer inspection, perhaps Michigan State isn't as dangerous as we think.
October 28th, 2021 at 7:16 PM ^
Uh, they've looked better than us against common opponents.
S....oo....ooo... maybe stfu?
October 28th, 2021 at 7:42 PM ^
So you watched the Nebraska game? At this point we will see sooner than later.
October 28th, 2021 at 9:35 PM ^
Did you forget that both Nebraska games came down to the wire?
October 28th, 2021 at 10:33 PM ^
It seems to me,”Overtime” is actually past the wire! It’s your word, stick to it.
October 29th, 2021 at 1:47 AM ^
Calm your butt
October 28th, 2021 at 7:39 PM ^
Someone was kind enough to put together both teams resumes. I believe sparties opponents were combined 10 games below 500. Ours were something close to the other direction above 500, maybe better.
October 28th, 2021 at 7:40 PM ^
No one circled it?
they beat us last year
this game is always circled
October 28th, 2021 at 7:46 PM ^
Not sure why you would write this, I would take the Lou Holtz approach to your opponents that their the best team we will play to date, that way should you win it makes the win look good. By beating an opponent that you claim is overrated the win doesn’t look as good, just my 2 cents.
October 29th, 2021 at 12:03 AM ^
He's probably not sure why he did it either.
October 28th, 2021 at 8:00 PM ^
Yes but so is ours to this point
October 28th, 2021 at 8:11 PM ^
Yes. Sparty's resume claims the current position is "Assistant Regional Manager" when really it is Assistant TO the Regional Manager. Also, the "Personal Interests" section lies about enjoying hiking.
October 28th, 2021 at 11:19 PM ^
You would not want to give Michigan State a promotion to Assistant Regional Manager this Saturday. Remember, although there is honor in making a loser feel better, there is NO HONOR in losing. Go Blue!
October 28th, 2021 at 8:16 PM ^
The only resume that matters is 7-0.
It's Michigan-Michigan State, fergodsakes.
October 28th, 2021 at 8:44 PM ^
None of this matters one IOTA. It's a huge rivalry game. Throw all these comparatives out of the window come Saturday.
October 28th, 2021 at 8:55 PM ^
I think ours are fairly comparable.
October 28th, 2021 at 8:59 PM ^
nope, you go 7-0, you deserve respect.
October 28th, 2021 at 9:00 PM ^
Why do people post such insane crap.
October 29th, 2021 at 12:47 AM ^
It’s Snazzy
October 28th, 2021 at 9:01 PM ^
Is our resume much better?
we do have some impressive road wins, but we haven’t beat a really good team yet. Now is our chance
October 28th, 2021 at 9:43 PM ^
Overrated? No. Do we still have a lot to prove? Absolutely.
October 28th, 2021 at 10:07 PM ^
The reality is when you hear "undefeated top ten team", neither of these teams is what comes to mind. The gap between Georgia/Bama/OSU and the rest of the top ten is MASSIVE. Our defense, specifically the secondary, makes me super nervous. Moreso for OSU than for MSU, but the bottom could fall out back there at any time. We just haven't faced a legit quarterback with a well planned passing attack. MSU has the same problem, plus an offensive line that's suspect.
I haven't heard anyone touting either team's resume. They're just undefeated power 5 teams, which at this point in the season usually means top ten. A dominant win one way or the other will tell us something about the winner. A close win won't tell us much about how good the winner actually is relative to the big dogs.
October 28th, 2021 at 10:13 PM ^
This is a really BIG game. Probably the biggest Backyard Brawl ever. Own it. Go Blue !
October 28th, 2021 at 11:06 PM ^
They may be overrated. We may be overrated.
The biggest issue for Michigan is that State has two difference-makers at WR and a QB that can get them the ball. Plus, they have the blueprint to be successful against Michigan once again this year, since our improved secondary is certainly not world-beating. MSU has the clear capability to strike quickly and require Michigan to put up points in a hurry. I don't like our chances in a scenario like that.
The game will be decided by how much we can limit State's big plays -- and whether or not we can connect on some of our own.
October 28th, 2021 at 11:25 PM ^
how many other teams would be 7-0 given State’s schedule (4 bottom tierB1G, Youngstown, WKU and Miami)? at least 20 and you can argue that the following G5 would win all 7: Cinci, SMU, UTSA, San DiegoSt, Coastal Car. Louisiana-Lafayette and maybe Houston.
October 28th, 2021 at 11:46 PM ^
How can their resume be overrated when not one team on it has a winning record so far? How is that even possible?
October 29th, 2021 at 2:10 AM ^
MSU beat the teams they should have and found a way to win against the other teams.
Diss their record if it makes you feel better.
October 29th, 2021 at 7:43 AM ^
Is it overrated? Of course. Is ours? Of course?
Their best wins are against...Nebraska and Miami.
Ours? Nebraska and Wisconsin.
Both of us have had our strength of schedule hurt by teams' underperforming preseason expectations. Miami was a 14th ranked team the first week. Now? They're terrible.
Wisconsin was a 12th ranked team and Washington was 20 preseason. Now? Again, they're terrible.
October 29th, 2021 at 10:24 AM ^
Throw records, statistics, and everything else out the door in a rivalry game. You just can't look at that stuff in this series.
October 29th, 2021 at 1:05 PM ^
Ask me Saturday afternoon...