When you consider what just happened to FSU and that all four teams are going to be SEC or Big Ten next year. I wonder if FSU , Miami, Clemson figure out that while they will get in a twelve team playoff they will continue to be punished for playing in a less superior conference

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EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State men's soccer players Jonathan Stout, Zac Kelly, and Jeremy Sharp all earned spots on the United Soccer Coaches All-North Region team on Tuesday. Stout was named to the first team, Kelly to the second, while Sharp captured third-team honors.

The trio were the first Spartans to capture All-North Region honors since 2018 when Giuseppe Barone and Patrick Nielsen were named to the first team and Jimmy Hague Ryan Sierakowski earned second-team nods.

Stout, a native of Wyoming, Michigan, earned his first all-region accolades after also capturing first-team All-Big Ten honors earlier this season. The sophomore midfielder was second on the team in scoring with five goals for 10 points, including one game-winning goal. He was the first player to earn first-team All-Big Ten honors since Jack Beck and Farai Mutatu in 2021.

Kelly, a native of Holt, Michigan, was stellar in net for Michigan State this season. The redshirt-sophomore recorded five shutouts this season, which was the most since 2018. He ended the season first in the Big Ten in saves per game (3.88) and third in goals against average (0.94). In his first season as a starter, Kelly played every minute in net for the Spartans this year.

Jeremy Sharp, a sophomore defender who hails from Roseville, Michigan, earned his first all-region accolade. Sharp has been a key part of the Spartan backline that has allowed only 15 goals this season. The defender has played in all 16 games, starting 15. Sharp was tied for third in the Big Ten and was first on the team in assists with five.

Michigan State finished the season with a 7-2-7 record, including a road win over Notre Dame who just advanced to the NCAA College Cup.

Release courtesy of MSU Athletics.

Section 210 Row 11, Seats 103-104, plus parking pass.

If interested call or text Joe at (313) 671-5953.

Section 210, Row 11, Seats 103-104, plus parking pass.

If interested call or text Joe at (313) 671-5953.

Four Spartans have joined Maxim Strbak in being named to their home countries preliminary roster for the 2024 World Junior Championship. Today Freshman goaltender Trey Augustine, Freshman Defensemen Patrick Geary, and Sophomore Forward Isaac Howard were named to the USA Preliminary roster. Freshman Forward Tommi Mannisto was added to the preliminary roster for Finland.

From the USAHockey release:
USA Hockey has named 29 players to the preliminary roster of its 2024 U.S. National Junior Team it was announced today. The group, which includes eight members of the bronze medal-winning 2023 U.S. National Junior Team, will gather for a training camp at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, Mich., from Dec. 14-16.

Players are auditioning for a spot on the final 25-player roster that will represent the United States in the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship Dec. 26, 2023 – Jan. 5, 2024, in Gothenburg, Sweden.

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Howard and Augustine previously have represented the USA at the NTDP and Augustine was the starting goaltender for the Americans last winter at the 2023 IIHF WJC. Geary has played his way onto this stage by having 3 goals, 3 assists in 10 games played this season, and has not represented the USA before. It will be an uphill battle for Geary to make the final roster as ten college defensemen will be in camp total, but this is a great honor for him to make this step.

Mannisto has represented Finland previously at the U18 WJC and is looking to make his U20 debut in this tournament, but has represented Finland previously at other U20 events.

Players at the WJC will definitely miss the Great Lakes Invitational at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids Dec 28-29. Luckily the next action after that for the Spartans is a scrimmage against US NTDP on January 5th meaning the roster should be back to full for the resuming of B1G Play at Penn State January 12.

I liked that are trending in our recruiting of skill players. More concerned about both lines especially dtackle . Do we much depth left? I hope we do not end up like Colorado last year and get destroyed up front . Not even sure what type of defense will be run to know what positions to focus on for recruiting.

Ohio State and Oklahoma qb's in the portal.

Listening on way home. Just kills um and Harbaugh. They play no one, Jimmy is not Saban.

Their fan base is the absolute most entitled and they have won nothing for 30 years—up there with ND.

Go Green!

Michigan State 2024 three-star quarterback commit Henry Hasselbeck led Xaverian Brothers to a MIAA Division I (Massachusetts) title this week. He actually played the game with a broken nose!

I can also report that (expected) new Michigan State offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Brian Lindgren is planning to visit Hasselbeck as his school in Massachusetts on Monday.

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This guy is a phoney. Talked about trust. About his faith . Here is a coach suspended twice for violating NCAA rules and they act like they didn't do any thing wrong. They are getting the white glove treatment by the national media. Glad they drew Bama. With a month to prepare Saban will have Bama ready.

Michigan State earned seven votes in this week's AP Poll released today, marking the ninth most of the 17 teams receiving votes. The last time the Spartans were ranked in the AP was at No. 25 on Jan. 4, 2021.

The latest from another busy weekend:

With Michigan State’s football season now fully in the rearview mirror, it is time to shift my mathematical focus to MSU basketball. As I have done for a few years now, I will be providing various odds and stats updates throughout the Big Ten season. I would like to kick all that off with my annual mathematically driven preview.

There is a lot to dig through in the article and it is super fun for me to put together. Here are the TL/DR highlights:

• Purdue is still the odds-on Big Ten favorite, but despite the 4-3 record, the Spartans are in the 2nd tier of teams along (right now) with Ohio State, Wisconsin, and Illinois. When I ran the simulation on Nov. 30 (prior to the start of Big Ten play and notably Purdue’s loss at NU) MSU graded out as the 2nd best team in the conference.
• Overall, Michigan State has one of, it not the easiest Big Ten schedules. OSU’s schedule is also very easy. Notably, contenders Illinois and Wisconsin have much tougher schedules.
• MSU’s schedule advantage is worth about a half game in the standings over the Big Ten average and over one full game relative to the team with the hardest schedule: Michigan (LOL!)
• MSU’s schedule is a bit sneaky front-loaded. The first five games feature four of the eight toughest games on the schedule (vs. Wisconsin, at Nebraska, at Northwestern, and at Illinois). MSU could be 3-2 in Big Ten play on Jan. 12 and still be in good shape. If MSU has a better record than that, it would be a great sign.
• The middle part of the schedule is soft and there are no obvious “schedule losses,” MSU then finishes with Ohio State and at Purdue back-to-back in the final four games.

Please enjoy the full analysis here:

I've been able to glean a little more info on Leavitt's decision to leave MSU.

During Monday's meeting with Smith, Smith told Leavitt that he wanted him to stay and compete. Leavitt asked him what he thought of his film from this season. When Smith said he hadn't had time to watch it yet, Leavitt got frustrated and walked out.

Leavitt definitely has value in this transfer portal era. He is an elite athlete who can run and throw. Barnett let him play just enough this year to whet the appetite of suitors. His appearances at MSU, however brief, definitely caught the attention of scouts, schools, and agencies.

Speaking of agents, I'm hearing that Leavitt is looking at schools including Nebraska, Kentucky, and Utah and that his NIL value might be approaching 7 figures at the right place.

That is also what it will take to get a top tier QB at MSU.

According to individuals close to the matter, Diron Reynolds, who coached at Michigan State this past season and at Stanford for the previous seven seasons, will be the Sun Devils' new defensive line coach.

Vince Amey, who assumed that role this past season in Tempe, will remain on staff as an analyst.

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The conference championships have all been played and, in all honesty, last night's results were the absolute worst-case scenario for the Selection Committee. Michigan and Washington will almost certainly be given the No. 1 and No. 2 seed and be placed in the Sugar Bowl and the Rose Bowl respectively. But there are four other teams with a reasonable claim on the last two spots and I have no idea what the committee is going to do.

Florida State is undefeated, but the Seminoles played the weakest schedule of the four candidates and their star quarterbac (Jordan Travis) suffered a season ending injury in the second-to-last game of the regular season. Florida State is outside of the Top 10 in both the FPI and in my power rankings. I also the Seminoles ranked No. 5 in my strength of record metric, behind two of the other three candidates.

Georgia is the defending national champions and were previously ranked No. 1 coming into the week. But after losing to Alabama in the SEC Title game, one must ask the question "what have you done for me lately?" The Bulldogs' best wins of the year were over Missouri and Ole Miss and their strength of schedule is almost as bad as Florida State's.

I have Georgia at No. 8 in my power rankings and with just the No. 7 in strength of record. I previously thought that UGA would coast on reputation alone into the playoffs even with a loss to Alabama. But now that that has happened... I am not so sure.

Speaking of Alabama, the Crimson Tide are the SEC champions, which should count for something. I have Alabama ranked No. 4 in my strength of record metric, but only No. 9 in my power rankings. The main concern here is that Bama was only ranked No. 8 last week. It is reasonable for the Tide to jump that high up in the standings, especially since one of the teams that Alabama might need to jump beat them head-to-head back in September?

The team that beat Bama, of course, is Texas who breezed past Oklahoma State to win the Big 12. My computer has the Longhorns ranked higher than any of the other three candidates in both power rankings (No. 4) and strength of record (No. 3). The problem is that Texas has the worst loss of the bunch (to No. 12 Oklahoma), started the weekend at No. 7 and will not get much of a bump from beating Oklahoma State.

So... what is the committee going to do? I am not sure, but with four teams vying for two spots, there are six possible options (ignoring variations where the No. 3 and No. 4 teams are switched). Here are those options, with the other New Year's Six Bowls thrown into the mix.

Option 1: Dr. Green and White's Pick​

• Sugar Bowl: No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 4 Alabama
• Rose Bowl: No. 2 Washington vs. No. 3 Texas
• Orange Bowl: No. 5 Florida State vs. No. 6 Georgia
• Fiesta Bowl: No. 7 Ohio State vs. No. 8 Oregon
• Cotton Bowl: No. 9 Missouri vs. No. 10 Penn State
• Peach Bowl: No. 11 Ole Miss vs. No. 20ish Liberty

I mean, just look at those matchups. Those are all great games and I think the best and most deserving teams are in the top four. If I were in charge, this would be the answer.

Option 2: What Probably Will Happen​

• Sugar Bowl: No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 4 Florida State
• Rose Bowl: No. 2 Washington vs. No. 3 Alabama
• Orange Bowl: No. 16-ish Louisville vs. No. 6 Georgia
• Cotton Bowl: No. 7 Ohio State vs. No. 5 Texas
• Fiesta Bowl: No. 9 Missouri vs. No. 8 Oregon
• Peach Bowl: No. 10 Penn State vs. No. 20-ish Liberty

One could easily flip Alabama and Florida State, but the way this season has gone, having Michigan draw a team without a quarterback that is not good enough to make the playoffs feels exactly like what is going to happen. Notice how much this playoff group messes up all the other matchups. Gross.

Option 3: The "No SEC" Option​

• Sugar Bowl: No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 4 Florida State
• Rose Bowl: No. 2 Washington vs. No. 3 Texas
• Orange Bowl: No. 16-ish Louisville vs. No. 6 Georgia
• Cotton Bowl: No. 7 Ohio State vs. No. 5 Alabama
• Fiesta Bowl: No. 9 Missouri vs. No. 8 Oregon
• Peach Bowl: No. 10 Penn State vs. No. 20-ish Liberty

This would be a hilarious outcome. It will never happen that an SEC team will get left out, but I could certainly justify this outcome with some of my data. The bowl season might wind up telling us the SEC is not nearly as strong as some people think this year.

Option 4: The "All SEC" Option​

• Sugar Bowl: No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 4 Georgia
• Rose Bowl: No. 2 Washington vs. No. 3 Alabama
• Orange Bowl: No. 5 Florida State vs. No. 7 Ohio State
• Fiesta Bowl: No. 6 Texas vs. No. 8 Oregon
• Cotton Bowl: No. 9 Missouri vs. No. 10 Penn State
• Peach Bowl: No. 11 Ole Miss vs. No. 20-ish Liberty

While having two SEC teams in the playoffs is distasteful, I have to admit that these matchups are all pretty good.

Option 5: The "Rematch Purgatory" Option​

• Sugar Bowl: No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 4 Georgia
• Rose Bowl: No. 2 Washington vs. No. 3 Florida State
• Orange Bowl: No. 16-ish Louisville vs. No. 7 Ohio State
• Fiesta Bowl: No. 6 Alabama vs. No. 8 Oregon
• Cotton Bowl: No. 5 Texas vs. No. 9 Missouri
• Peach Bowl: No. 10 Penn State vs. No. 20-ish Liberty

Earlier in the week when I mapped everything out, this was the playoff pairings I expected in the scenario where Texas, Florida State, and Alabama all won. Now... I am not so sure. The other challenge is that the other New Year's Six matchups are messy due to possible rematches. Alabama should not play Texas or Missouri in a bowl game. If the committee were to do something like that, I would be in favor of a lifetime ban for all of them.

Option 6: The "WTF" Option​

• Sugar Bowl: No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 4 Georgia
• Rose Bowl: No. 2 Washington vs. No. 3 Texas
• Orange Bowl: No. 5 Florida State vs. No. 7 Ohio State
• Fiesta Bowl: No. 6 Alabama vs. No. 8 Oregon
• Cotton Bowl: No. 9 Missouri vs. No. 10 Penn State
• Peach Bowl: No. 11 Ole Miss vs. No. 20ish Liberty

This is perhaps the most unlikely of the six possibilities. The justification here would be that Georgia cannot fall all the way from No. 1 to out of the playoffs and Texas gets priority as a conference champion and a head-to-head win over Alabama. Florida State would be eliminated due to concerns over their quarterback. Honestly speaking, however, this creates a lot of good matchups.

Bad Betting Advice Results​

I do not think that it is worth it to issue a full "Against All Odds" this week, so I will just comment briefly on the computer's results. It was a great week for both computers.

My computer got both upset picks correct (Southern Methodist and Miami of Ohio) and the FPI got both picks against the spread correct (Southern Methodist and Liberty). My computer even corrected suggested to take the under in the Pac-12 Championship Game. Fancy that!

That is all I have for today. Let's see how this plays out.

I've been able to glean a little more info on Leavitt's decision to leave MSU.

During his meeting on Monday with Smith, Smith told Leavitt that he wanted him to stay and compete. Leavitt asked him what he thought of his film from this season. When Smith said he hadn't had time to watch it yet, Leavitt got frustrated and walked out.

Leavitt definitely has value in this transfer portal era. He is an elite athlete who can run and throw. Barnett let him play just enough this year to whet the appetite of suitors. His appearances at MSU, however brief, definitely caught the attention of scouts, schools, and agencies.

Speaking of agents, I'm hearing that Leavitt is looking at schools including Nebraska, Kentucky, and Utah and that his NIL value might be approaching 7 figures at the right place.

That is also what it will take to get a top tier QB at MSU.

How is OSU campus? How does it stack up to our beloved MSU campus? Facilities?

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State wrestling begins its dual season on Sunday traveling to Lancaster, Pa. to square off against a trio of teams - Franklin & Marshall, Bloomsburg, and Presbyterian at the Mayser Center. First whistle is set for 10 a.m.


WATCH LIVE | MATCH NOTES


THE LAST TIME OUT

The last time the Spartans were in action was two weeks ago (Nov. 19) when they traveled to West Point, N.Y. to compete in the Black Knight Invite. Six wrestlers placed top-three in their respected weight classes: 125-pounder Tristan Lujan, 157-pounder Chase Saldate, 165-pounder Caleb Fish, 174-pounder DJ Shannon, 197-pounder Kael Wisler and 197-pounder Luke Daly.


IN THE RANKINGS

Four Spartans crack the top-30 in this week's Intermat rankings. Junior 125-pounder Tristan Lujan is slated at No. 30, senior 157-pounder Chase Saldate enters at No.14, Senior Caleb Fish remains at No.12 in the 165-pound weight class and grad-student 184-pounder Layne Malczewski comes in as the highest-ranked Spartan at No.11.


HEAD COACH Roger chandler said...

"I'm looking forward to seeing our team in dual competition. Up to this point we have wrestled only tournaments which is a completely different dynamic from a team standpoint. What really gets me excited is to see each of these guys take the mat battling for each other, where every individual outcome affects the team as a whole."


SCOUTING FRANKLIN & MARSHALL

· Franklin & Marshall is led by 14th-year head coach Mike Rogers. Rogers wrestled for Lock Haven University where he was a two-time All-American and a three-time national qualifier. The Diplomats will have their first dual competition this season after opening the season with four tournaments.

· Franklin and Marshall were in the city of brotherly love (Philadelphia, Pa.) on Nov. 19 where they competed in the Keystone Classic hosted by University of Pennsylvania. 184-pounder James Conway placed first and John Crawford placed second lifting the team to a fourth-place finish.

· The Diplomats have two nationally ranked wrestlers in their respective weight class. Junior 184-pounder James Conway ranks No. 17 and 197 pound senior John Crawford is slotted at No. 30.



SCOUTING BLOOMSBURG

· The Huskies are led by eighth-year head coach Marcus Gordon. Gordon has compiled a 29-68 record at BU and will kick off the dual season in Lancaster. The Huskies last competed at the Navy Classic on Nov. 18 where they put up 10 total team points with victories from Bronson Garber, Cade Balestrini, William Morrow, Macon Myers and Kolby Flank.

· Bloomsburg had a 4-12 overall record in the 2022-23 season with a 0-7 record in the MAC.

· Returning for the Huskies is back-to-back NCAA national qualifier grad-student Josh Mason who is coming off a 23-16 campaign. Mason has two, 10 or more pin seasons and is fifth all-time at BU in pins with 37.



SCOUTING PRESBYTERIAN

· The Blue Hose wrestling program enters their fifth season in program history, led by second-year head coach Mark Cody. In Cody's first season, Presbyterian showed signs of growth with a program-high four wins in 2022-23, along with its first-ever conference victory, defeating Gardner-Webb.

· Presbyterian returns last year's team-leader in total victories, junior 197-pounder Malcolm Wiley. Wiley went 17-9 for the Blue Hose.

· PC is 1-2 through the early part of the season. The Blue Hose kicked off against No. 3 NC State falling 48-0, bounced back with a 29-21 victory over Sacred Heart, then dropped their last matchup against Northern Colorado, 44-5.

Release courtesy of MSU Athletics.

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