Football
Big Ten Countdown No. 8 Michigan State
By Tony Gerdeman

Predicted Finish 6-6 (3-5)

Two-Cent Overview

Everything that you once knew about recent Spartan teams can be shredded, shredded again, burned and then scattered. It will take that type of cleansing to turn around a program that had about as much heart as a head of cabbage. But head coach Mark Dantonio is the absolute right guy to turn this place around. The offense returns seven linemen with starting experience, including four of their top five from last year. Yes, quarterback Drew Stanton is gone, but you could consider him as much bath water as baby. A power running game has returned to East Lansing and every single player on the offense is happy to see it. The defense is still looking for players to fit into its conventional 4-3 alignment, though they're looking for speed in order to implement a more aggressive scheme than last season's "Wait 'n Hit Me" 4-2-5 defense.

Schedule

Sept. 1 UAB (W)
Sept. 8 Bowling Green (W)
Sept. 15 Pittsburgh (W)
Sept. 22 at Notre Dame (L)
Sept. 29 at Wisconsin (L)
Oct. 6 Northwestern (W)
Oct. 13 Indiana (W)
Oct. 20 at Ohio State (L)
Oct. 27 at Iowa (L)
Nov. 3 Michigan (L)
Nov. 10 at Purdue (L)
Nov. 17 Penn State (W)

Goal

Beat Michigan. Aside from avoiding self-destruction, beating Michigan would make 2007 a success. Dantonio admits as much, saying "I think wherever you go, you need to have a measuring stick in terms of what dictates success and not success. You need to have that measuring stick. And in our state, we need to point down the road to Michigan. So I want our players to understand that rivalry. I want them to understand the traditions there. We'll continue to emphasize that measuring stick. And quite frankly, I know that when we can play with Michigan, we can play with anybody in the country."

Five Questions Looking For Answers

1. Is East Lansing ready for real, live sanity?
2. Now that John L. Smith is gone, who's going to wear the orange and green snakeskin boots?
3. Will the new attitude outweigh the old attitude during a losing streak?
4. What kind of numbers can running back Javon Ringer put up if he stays healthy for an entire season?
5. Is free safety Otis Wiley the best player in the Big Ten that nobody talks about?

Something To Look For

Aggressive and fundamental football. The spread offense and spread defense are gone. In their places are a pro-style two-back offense with a tight end or two and an offensive line that is looking forward to attacking a defense for a change. The defense will have changes that border on drastic. And when you consider that all they're doing is going to a 4-3, it tells you a lot about the situation on defense last season. Players are sliding down positions in order to increase team speed. And in Dantonio's efforts to get the best eleven on the field, some key contributors from last season (SirDarean Adams) will need to step up their play this season to see as much time as they did last year.

Returning Starters

Six on offense, six on defense and the place-kicker.

Best Player

Free safety Otis Wiley. As a true sophomore, Wiley led the Spartans in tackles (94), tackles for loss (6.5) and pass break-ups (10) last season. He has speed (4.4) and size (6'2" 214) and looks to have a truly breakout season in Dantonio's new schemes. Wiley didn't record a single interception last season, but look for him to be allowed to roam this year. And with the addition of a third linebacker on defense, Wiley won't have to concentrate so much on the running game.

Second Best Player

Running back Javon Ringer. When healthy, there are not three better tailbacks than Ringer in the Big Ten. As he stands now, Ringer is as healthy as he's ever been, but now he is faster and stronger. "Twenty carries per game" has been thrown around concerning Ringer's outlook for 2007, and there's no doubt the staff would love to see that. Ringer is also dangerous catching the ball on swing passes and screens. No matter where he gets the ball, he is a breakaway threat. And don't expect him to necessarily give way to 250-lb Jehuu Caulcrick on short-yardage downs, because the coaches want him on the field in every conceivable situation.

Best Chance For a Big Loss

At Wisconsin. It's the Big Ten opener for the Spartans, and they'll probably be coming in off of a loss at Notre Dame. Wisconsin is an unforgiving host and things have a way of getting out of control up there. John L. Smith was never good at stopping the bleeding. Dantonio will definitely stop the bleeding, but it may take an amputation or two.

Most Important Game

Michigan. The Spartans have a countdown clock for exactly one opponent this season. Care to guess which one?

Best Road Game To Pack Up The Family Truckster And Travel To

At Notre Dame. The trip to South Bend is about as picturesque as could be--provided you really like corn and fields of corn. Still, it is one of a handful of college football meccas in the country, so everybody should probably check it out at least once. And Irish fans are more than willing to sell you their tickets in a down year.

Best Reason They Won't Be Undefeated

It'll take at least one year to get the John L. Smith stink off of the program.

Best Reason They Will Be Undefeated

Mark Dantonio.

Game They Shouldn't Lose, But Could

Northwestern. It's the Spartans home conference opener and they'll probably be coming in off of a two-game losing streak. Northwestern should be able to move the ball. Of course, the Spartans should be able to move it better.

Player People Are Expecting Too Much From

Middle linebacker Kaleb Thornhill. Thornhill has been injured throughout his career, but is expected to be a senior leader and a big contributor on this team. While he hasn't missed a start in the last two seasons, he did sit out for most of the spring. With nagging injuries, the Big Ten schedule has a way of getting to you.

Player People Will Be Pleasantly Surprised By

Safety Travis Key. Key has posed a bit of a problem for the defensive staff. He is the third safety, but one of the "best eleven", so they will be looking for ways to get him on the field. Obviously, most of those will come in nickel situations. Even though he's slight (5'10" 185), he's generally viewed as the biggest hitter in the secondary.

Best Newcomer

Linebacker Eric Gordon. Gordon (6'0" 225) is a redshirt freshman that looks to have already wrapped up the weakside linebacker spot. That was a spot that was assumed to have been given to former "bandit" (linebacker/safety hybrid) SirDarean Adams. But Gordon's play has stood out above most and everybody is excited about the possibilities over the next four years. Gordon was the 2006 Scout Team Defensive Player of the Year and was a star in the spring and stood out with his athleticism and explosiveness.

Game On The Schedule That Would Make Bret Bielema Jealous

At Notre Dame. If you don't think Bielema would love to take Wisconsin's running game into Notre Dame this season, you're crazy.

Something They Do Well

Run the ball. The Spartans return their three top running backs from last season, and with a renewed focus on establishing the run, look for that to happen. They have three tremendous complementary weapons in the talented Javon Ringer, the powerful Jehuu Caulcrick, and the speedy A.J. Jimmerson. While Ringer will get the bulk of the carries, the other two will be keys to a successful offense.

Something They Don't Do So Well

Sack the quarterback. The Spartans only had 16 sacks in 2006, but that number should definitely go up under Dantonio. Still, you have to have players that can get to the quarterback regardless of schemes. Time will tell if the Spartans have such players.

What's Improved?

Mentality. It's amazing to listen to the Spartan players talk about the difference between the approaches in 2006 and 2007. It's almost like those stories of wild children that are found in Borneo or Cambodia or wherever. Once they get to civilization and you hear their story, you feel sorry for them because you have no idea how they managed to survive out in the wild for so long. Then when they finally get some structure in their lives, you never know which way they'll go. Will they adapt to civilization, or go back to their wild ways? Even though the Spartans only spoke in guttural tones and grunts last season, don't be surprised if they're all the way up to using silverware (albeit plastic) by the time November rolls around.

What's Gotten Worse?

The quarterback? This is a question, not a statement. There is a talent drop off, but you have to think that if Drew Stanton was Dantonio's quarterback, there would be permanent strangle marks around Stanton's neck. Whereas last season under John L. Smith, Stanton would come back to the bench after a terrible play and John L. would shoot up a couple of finger guns with a "Yee haw!! Maybe you should scramble even crazier next time! Bang bang!" Don't expect such leniency from Dantonio. So while the talent may not be the same, Brian Hoyer does what he's told and Dantonio knows that that's the most important thing a quarterback can do. Stanton was fun to watch at times, but he was just as responsible for losses as he was wins. Dantonio doesn't want Hoyer to have that same weight.

Anything Else We Should Know About?

What a mess this team used to be. It was talked about above, but it cannot be overstated how disheveled this team used to be. Imagine being a landlord and finding out one of your tenants built a meth lab in their basement and now you have to clean the place up and get it back on the market. That's what Mark Dantonio is going through right now.

Anything Else?

There are some striking similarities between Wisconsin and Michigan State. Both are replacing quarterbacks with players who have a decent amount of experience. Both return four of five starting offensive linemen. Both have very good running backs. Both return at least four players who have started on the defensive line. Both return two starting linebackers. And both return two starters in the secondary. It probably means nothing though.

One Prediction

The Michigan game will be one of the three best games of the season in the Big Ten.

Did you know (Media Guide factoid)

Spartan radio play-by-play man George Blaha will be calling his 30th season of Michigan State games and just completed his 31st season of calling Detroit Pistons games. Despite this lengthy career, he has only been named Michigan Sports Broadcaster of the Year twice (1998 and 2002). (Presumably, he blames Ernie Harwell.)

Coach Speak

What Mark Dantonio says: "What I have tried to say since I've come to Michigan State is that change affects everybody. Change is tough. It has a way to make you go through some trials and tribulations and it's the same way at Michigan State."

What Mark Dantonio means: "It's like I'm a landlord and I just found out that one of my tenants built a meth lab in their basement!"

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