| The Spartans were the enigma of the Big 10 in 2005. They exploded out to a 4-0 start with a huge OT win in South Bend, but fizzled from there on out only winning one of their last seven overall games. Sure, many of the losses were close, but close losses don’t impress bowl invitees and the Spartans had to watch bowl week from their family rooms for the second straight season. HC John L. Smith has a tremendous offense returning in ’06, and it should easily topple the 33.8 PPG it averaged in ’05 provided it stays healthy. That mostly depends on QB Drew Stanton who’s been in and out of the nurse’s office with every passing season. He has both RB’s back, and one of the top WR corps in the country to rip apart opposing defenses. This really has the makings of the top offensive unit in the Big 10 provided the O-Line gels nicely. Defensively, the Spartans can only get better as they were gouged both on the ground and through the air in ’05. This is the most experienced their stop unit has been in quite some time, so there should be some improvement statistically. Surprisingly, the Spartans Special teams were a mess last season, which is not what we usually see from HC Smith coached teams. Look for dramatic improvement as this unit killed them in a number of games last season.
This is the dark horse contender in the Big 10. The Spartans have the offensive talent, experience, and painful memories of a disturbing 2005 season to push them over the top. They avoid Iowa, and get to host both Notre Dame and Ohio State. Road trips to Michigan and Penn State look rough, but this squad has the talent and experience to get the job done. The pressure’s been turned up a notch in East Lansing, so look for HC Smith and his coaching staff to get the job done in what looks to be a promising campaign for the green and white.
|
