We could be re-hashing the era of “Big 2, Little 8” in the Big Ten right now. Except this time, it’s a different school from the state of Great Lakes Splendor that is on par with Ohio State. Michigan State football has done much more than just arrived; it’s elite. The Buckeyes are still the class of the league, but the Spartans are the clear cut number two.
So I guess you could call it “Big 2, Little 12.”
And even with Jim Harbaugh in tow, Michigan is still the current “little brother” to Michigan State football right now.
Michigan State football players attending Big Ten Media Day:
Jack Allen, Sr.
Shilique Calhoun, Sr., DE
Connor Cook, Sr., QB
No other school has as impressive a triad at Media Day as MSU. The other programs don’t have the players, or in the case of Ohio State, just decided to leave their best at home for some reason.
Offense:
QB: Connor Cook was definitely best served by returning to school for another year. He could battle it out with Penn State’s Christian Hackenberg to be the first signal caller taken in the 2016 NFL Draft. Wait, not one, but two quarterbacks in the conference going in the top ten in the draft! What is this the Pac 12?
WR: Remember mid-season 2013, when this position group was…let’s say “rough around the edges?” Wow how things have changed. The receiving corps probably bottomed out in that 17-13 loss at Notre Dame early that season; and they’ve been improving ever since. Tony Lippett is gone, but Aaron Burbridge is the go-to guy now. MacGarrett Kings Jr., in addition to having a Key and Peele “East/West College Bowl” sounding name, is a solid number two.
RB: It’s a wide open race to replace Jeremy Langford. Keep on eye on Gerald Holmes and Madre London. MSU was represented in the East/West College Bowl by the way, by Jackmerius Tacktheritrix.
OL: Conklin projects as a first round pick; perhaps the first tackle off the board. Center Jack Allen is a star too. There are Michigan State football players all over those preseason award watch list things. However, if you care about OL preseason award watch lists, and you’re not an OL, or related to one, it’s time to take a long hard look at your life.
Defense:
Line: Last year was a rebuilding year on this side of the ball and State responded by…winning 11 games. MSU’s two losses came to the very two teams that met in the national title game. Calhoun should have left for the NFL, but he’s back, and now he’s ranked the #1 pro prospect at DE. In other words, he’s going to whoop a whole lot of ass at the collegiate level this year. That’s #Journalism right there. Who’s going to be the next big thing once Calhoun moves on? Malik McDowell that’s who.
Linebackers: Ed Davis leads an unheralded, but still stellar, position group. The linebacking corps is truly the Gestalt of Michigan State football; much more than the sum of their parts. There’s yet another Bullough on the gridiron in East Lansing. This time, it’s Riley Bullough plugging up the middle. He’s the younger brother of Max Bullough.
There are some adjustments to be made here due to attrition and turnover. Without longtime rock star defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi around this season, it will be interesting to see how State adjusts.
Secondary: Here’s where there might be cause for concern. There’s no Trae Waynes or Darqueze Denard in this bunch; not even close. There is some experience amongst this group of DBs, but Free Safety RJ Williamson is the only returning starter.
Bottom Line:
Mark Dantonio has done what Bobby Williams, John L. Smith and even Nick Saban couldn’t do- build Michigan State football into a consistent winner. What’s bigger is that Dantonio has kept them there. The Spartans have won 11 games in three of the last four seasons. They’re coming off back-to-back top 5 national ranking, New Year’s Day bowl victory seasons.
Therefore, it’s playoffs or bust. The last step for this program to take is national title contender. 2105 is their best shot for while given the composition of the roster. If it doesn’t happen this year though; don’t fret for too long. Dantonio is also killing it on the recruiting trail, and he’s landing some of the best talent in the Chicagoland area.
Michigan State football accomplishing eleven win seasons is something you’ll need to get used to.
Never Too Early Season Preview Series:
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and writes The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with Fox Sports Digital. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes to the Chicago Tribune RedEye edition. He also appears regularly on numerous sports talk radio stations all across the country.
Follow him on Twitter and Instagram