It’s amazing that a 10-2 regular season plus a bowl win over ACC champ Pittsburgh and finishing as the ninth ranked team is only good enough for a third-best in the East Division of the Big-Ten. But that’s the way it is when you have Ohio State and Michigan to compete with, not to mention Penn State.
The schedule and a few breaks helped contribute to that record and this year it appears as though things will even out.
But Michigan State also got a whole lot better, thanks to the transfer portal and they’ll need that assistance, especially for a pass defense that struggled often last year.
The offense returns most of the same players, with the exception of running back, with Kenneth Walker off to the NFL. One new player coming in is former super-recruit Jalen Berger from Wisconsin. He’s hoping a change of scenery and a strong offensive line helps to transform his college career.
They also have a top receiver in Jayden Reed and a solid, if unspectacular quarterback in Payton Thorne.
The Spartans had the worst pass defense in the entire nation last year. They are counting on Georgia transfer CB Ameer Speed to help revamp a new secondary. The pass rush should be a strength, so if they can improve on pass defense, this is a team ready to make some noise.
2022 Michigan State Spartans NCAA Football Futures Odds
Odds to win the 2022-23 NCAA Championship: 100/1
Odds to win the 2022 Big Ten Conferences: +2800
Odds to win the 2022 Big Ten East Division: +1800
2022 Regular Season Win Total: Over 7½ (-150)
Odds to Make the Playoffs: Yes +450 | No -775
2022 Heisman Contenders: Jarek Broussard +15000, Payton Thorne +20000 & Jalen Berger +50000
Official website: msuspartans.com
Twitter Account : @Spartans
Odds to win the 2022-23 NCAA Championship: 100/1
Just getting out of the Big-Ten is going to be hard enough for the Spartans. At the same time, they have made the CFP playoffs in the new era and at the height of the Mark Dontonio era the team won three conference titles and another division title.
The Melvin Tucker era got off to a great start in year two and they have a lot of continuity with their best players and a great crop of transfers plus a strong recruiting class.
The Verdict: Worth a flyer, but they’re still a real long shot
Odds to win the 2022 Big Ten Conference: +2800
We know the big dogs of the conference get all the hype and they reside in the same division. One thing I like about these long shot odds is that Tucker is a defensive coach, coaching D-backs for Ohio State and Alabama and as a defensive coordinator for Georgia and the Chicago Bears. He should be able to figure things out on that side of the ball.
The Verdict: At these odds, worth a small bet
Odds to win the 2022 Big Ten East Division: +1800
Among the reasons I like Michigan State as a plucky underdog is a strong offensive line, a two headed attack at running back, a terrific number one wide receiver, a clutch quarterback and a defensive line that can dominate. The core of the team is strong.
The Verdict: Worth a small bet
2022 Regular Season Win Total: Over 7 ½ (-150)
Clearly you know which way I’m leaning here, but the realist knows that with this schedule it’s going to be a challenge. Washington on the road in week three will be tough and so will Maryland on the road in week five. But a team with these high aspirations should beat them.
Potentially that means a 5-0 start before a three-week stretch versus Ohio State, Wisconsin and at Michigan.
From there they’re at Illinois, versus Rutgers and Indiana before wrapping up at Penn State. So even if they lose all three of those games in the middle, they’ll have a strong shot at an eight-win season just by winning three of the final four.
The Verdict: A solid bet
Odds to Make the Playoffs: Yes +450 | No -775
If they win the Big Ten they’ll be in. They’re a long shot to do it. These are no longer long shot odds for a yes. The lack of value in both directions is why I say skip it. But if you want to invest in just one, the smart money says no.
The Verdict: No at -775
2022 Heisman Contenders: Jarek Broussard +15000, Payton Thorne +20000 & Jalen Berger +50000
They have a trio of long shot Heisman candidates. Broussard and Berger are the incoming running backs looking to pick up the slack from the excellent NFL bound Kenneth Walker. Given how running backs have won just one Heisman in the last 12 years, it’s hard to see either winning here, and the possibility that they cancel each other out on a run heavy operation.
QB Thorne is a reliable QB and he has some tools to work with, but he completed just 60.4% of his passes last year and doesn’t run much either. Hard to see him making enough of a jump to be a true Heisman candidate.
The Verdict: Skip them all
Odds According to Bovada as of August, 2022
Michigan State Spartans 2022 Schedule
| SEASON | |||
| Date | Time | Opponent | TV |
| 2-Sep | 7:00 p.m. | Western Michigan* | ESPN |
| 10-Sep | 4:00 p.m. | Akron* | BTN |
| 17-Sep | 7:30 p.m. | at Washington* | ABC |
| 24-Sep | TBA | Minnesota | TBA |
| 1-Oct | TBA | at Maryland | TBA |
| 8-Oct | TBA | Ohio State | TBA |
| 15-Oct | 3:30 p.m. | Wisconsin | TBA |
| 29-Oct | TBA | at Michigan | TBA |
| 5-Nov | TBA | at Illinois | TBA |
| 12-Nov | TBA | Rutgers | TBA |
| 19-Nov | TBA | Indiana | TBA |
| 26-Nov | TBA | at Penn State | TBA |
Home stadium: Spartan Stadium, East Lansing, MI
*Non-conference game – All times are in Eastern time
Bet on the Michigan State Spartans 2022 Season at Bovada Sportsbook.
