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2008 Michigan State Spartans

Written June 10, 2008 by Jason Lowry

Jason Lowry is ready to make his 2008 Michigan State Spartans football predictions, as the season continues to grow closer. The Spartans finished last season at 7-6 overall but just 3-5 in the Big 10. It was Mark Dantonio’s first season as head coach of the Spartans, and the team showed signs of returning to a contender in the Big 10. While the team finished with 6 losses last year, they didn’t lose a game by more than 7 points all year. This included a difficult 3-point loss to Boston College in the Champs Sports Bowl. In 2008 the team will be returning 14 starters to help make this upcoming season an even better one. Before we go making predictions on this team, we figured it would be a good idea to take a look at what this team is bringing to both sides of the ball.

Offense:
The Spartans were pretty solid on the ground and a lot of that had to do with senior Javon Ringer who rushed for 1,447 yards last season. With Jehuu Cualcrick and his school-record 21 touchdowns gone, look for Ringer to have an even bigger season than that of a year ago. A lot still rest on the arm of senior quarterback Brian Hoyer who led the team to 2 wins to finish off the big team season and lead the team to a bowl game. The receiving group will have to find answers for the loss of Devin Thomas and tight end Kellen Davis to the NFL draft. As it looks now Mark Dell and Deon Curry will be the starters to get the season going. Ringer is hoping that the revamped line that still includes 3 starters from a year ago can give him enough time to get rid of the ball.

Defense:
With only 5 returning starters there is talk that this same defense that created 20 turnovers and had a combined 40 sacks can improve on those numbers this season. The team is very high at the end spots with senior Brandon Long and transfer Trevor Anderson. Even though the only returning starter on the d-line is tackle Justin Kershaw, but sophomores Oren Wilson and Trevor Anderson have shown a lot of promise so far. The best player on this side of the ball is sophomore MLB Greg Jones, as he makes the switch to the middle from outside. Jones is only going to get better, as he led the team in tackles as a true freshman. Look for fellow sophomore Eric Gordon to be a solid campaign at linebacker. The secondary has 4 guys that have seen action at the corner spot, but look for junior Ashton Henderson and senior Kendell Davis-Clark to hold down the spots to start the season. Otis Wiley will return as the starting strong safety and it looks like junior Roderick Jenrette will be the guy roaming at free safety.

Prediction: 5th in the Big 10
We are a little higher on this team than others might be, as we feel like could end up a top 25 team by the time the season finishes up. While we aren’t talking about competing with the likes of Ohio State and Wisconsin, this team could at least 4-4 in the Big 10, and 8-4 overall. We will get a real good idea if this team is for real in week 1 when they head to California for an early test.

There is plenty to get excited about when you start thinking football, and with BetUS.com you can get a head start on the upcoming football season. Professional Handicapper Jason Lowry continues his run through his 2008 NCAA football predictions that include a look at some of the best teams and conferences in the country.

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