I am concerned about the future of college football and non-competitive football. Teams often open with cream puffs, but the scores are getting more lopsided. I believe the poaching of lower-level teams has led to these lopsided scores. Yes, FSU and Georgia Tech were Close. Mack Brown can recruit but can't coach, so Minnesota and North Carolina were close, same with a proud North Dakota St team and Colorado---BUT

A whopping 14 teams outscored their opponents by an average of 52.4 points to 7.4 points, and I've listed them below. Scholarship limitations served a purpose to make the game competitive; now, I suspect we will only see that when the big boys go head to head.


734 points vs 104 (52.4 points to 7.4 points)

1. Utah 49-0
2. Missouri 51-0
3. Kansas 48-3
4. CMU 66-10
5. UCF 57-3
6. Arkansas 70-0
7. Wake Forest 45-13
8. Coastal Carolina 55-27
9. Toledo 49-10
10. Tulane 52-0
11. Tulsa 62-28
12. UAB 41-3
13. Illinois 45-0
14. Rutgers 44-7

Spartans Illustrated exclusive:

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Our staff breaks down today's matchup. What are your final score predictions?

Just one player listed on Michigan State's availability report: defensive lineman Avery Dunn.

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Yay or nay?
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Well, it looks like Jonathan Smith will (wisely) opt for season captains instead of the rotating/weekly captains we saw under Mel Tucker.

Michigan State’s 2024 captains are quarterback Aidan Chiles, running back Nate Carter, center Tanner Miller, linebacker Jordan Turner and
defensive tackle Maverick Hansen.

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The game has been moved to 11 a.m.​

Parking will be available at the Kellogg Center, as well as Ramp 5 and Ramp 6. Football gameday rates do apply.

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State men's soccer continues its four-game homestand, hosting Villanova on Friday, Aug. 30 at 11 a.m. It is Kick-Off Day on the Pitch, as fans can present their football ticket to MSU's game against FAU for complimentary admission to the game. Due to possible storms in the area the game was moved from 12 p.m. to 11 a.m.

The Spartans are 0-1-1 this season after a loss Bowling Green, 1-0, on Aug. 26. In the season opener MSU tied No. 25 SIUE 1-1 on the road. Jack Steger and Yousef Enayah are on the call for B1G+.

LOOKING AT THE WILDCATS
Villanova is 0-1-1 this young season, starting with a 2-2 tie against Saint Peter's on Aug. 22. On Aug. 25, the Wildcats fell to Temple 3-2 in Philadelphia.

Jorge Garcia leads the team in scoring with two goals and one assist for five points. Jodran Canica and Colby Raymond are second in scoring with one goal each. Both Sebastian Cutler DeJesus and Alex Yagudayev have both seen time in goal this season.

SERIES HISTORY
Michigan State and Villanova have only met once last season in Philadelphia on Sept. 4. That game ended in a 1-1 tie. VU scored first in the fifth minute after Balthi Saunders converted a penalty kick. MSU found the equalizer in the 39th minute when defender Will Eby scored his first collegiate goal.

FUN FACT
Last season's game between the Spartans and the Wildcats was also affected by a time change. The game was moved to 11 a.m. due to high heat conditions in Philadelphia.

RULE CHANGES THIS SEASON
This season the clock will stop on substitutions with 15 minutes left if the game is tied or the winning team makes a sub.

Substitutions can be made during any stoppage of time. Another change is to allow teams six moments to make substitutions in a game. Current substitution exceptions for goalkeepers, injury caused by an opposing player who was cautioned or ejected, bleeding injury, blood on the uniform, concussion evaluation and a permanent medical condition will not count as a moment as long as no other substitutions are made at the same time by that team. If a coach has used all of their moments and there is an injury not covered by the current exceptions listed previously, the team will play short. For postseason overtime games, any unused moments will carry over and one additional moment for all of overtime will be awarded.

BY THE NUMBERS
In the first two games, eight Spartans have started both games in Zac Kelly, Shion Soga, Richie Ludwig, Cristiano Bruletti, Jake Spadafora, Jeremy Sharpy, Will Eby, Josh Adam and Colin Arce.

Adam, Kelly, Eby and Soga have played every minute this season.

UP NEXT
The Spartans next host No. 19/5 Oregon State on Monday, Sept. 2 at 1 p.m.

Preview courtesy of MSU Athletics.

Michigan State battles with Florida Atlantic tonight at 7 p.m. Eastern time on the Big ten network. Find out more about the Owls below!

Michigan State kicks off the 2024 football season versus Florida Atlantic on Friday night (7 p.m. Eastern Time on Big Ten Network).

In an effort to learn more about the Owls, we spoke with Kevin Fielder, a Florida Atlantic alumnus and publisher for EMAW Online, which covers Kansas State for Rivals.

While Kevin covers the Wildcats now, he reported on the Owls for multiple years and still keeps up with the team now. He was able to provide Spartans Illustrated with plenty of insights about FAU.

How has Florida Atlantic head coach Tom Herman tried to stabilize the program? Who are the players to watch on offense and defense? Will this game be competitive? Kevin answers these questions and more below.

I am joined by Kevin Fielder, FAU Alum currently covering Kansas State for the Rival Network on this preview episode. We broke down FAU on offense and defense, shared some players to watch, and looked ahead to their matchup against MSU. Check out this preview to get all the information you need to know before the first game in the 2024 season.

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In Coastal Carolina's 55-27 victory, Kim threw one pass for a touchdown and ran three times for +7 yards.

Michigan State will host several prospects tonight for its season opener against FAU, including some key in-state targets.

A breakdown of which recruits will be in East Lansing:

Michigan State will rock the classic green tops, white pants and green helmets look for Friday’s 2024 season opener versus Florida Atlantic. If you listen to the video closely, you can hear the AC/DC song “Thunderstruck” playing in the background, so it appears Michigan State will be sticking with that as the walk-out song in the Jonathan Smith era.

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The first Michigan State uniform combo of the Jonathan Smith era has been revealed.

Here are some thoughts and some fun facts and statistics about the uniforms, via guest writer MSU_Uniforms:

Are rivaling Wyoming for the most hideous color combination ever.

Go NDSU bison….beat the buffalos!
Hmmmm..,, who wins between a buffalo and a bison ?

Get ready for kickoff with the ever-so-creative format of 3 things we want to see, 2 key stats and 1 best bet. THE DAY IS ALMOST HERE FOLKS, CAN'T WAIT.

Nearly 24 hours until kickoff. Here’s a look at game one of the 2024 season for the Spartans, what to expect, and key matchups in tomorrows game.

Article on Ohio State buying players. It’s College football in name only at this point. That said, how much do we have allocated to buy players? Can anyone provide a good estimate?

https://www.espn.com/college-footba...tball-20-million-offseason-michigan-motivated

Just like in the free market, brand power will attract the most $$$. Probably only 5–10 teams MAX with any shot at all at a national title.

Red Cedar Radar is back! I am joined by the familiar Paul Fanson to break down everything head coach Jonathan Smith has changed since taking over the Michigan State program and look ahead to MSU's 2024 schedule and the race for the Big Ten championship.

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If you leave now, you might make it in time for kickoff. Just kidding. Barely. It's been quite crazy around here these last several months and it's going to be like that for several more. Here's a bunch of information about the construction near campus:

Well, it doesn't appear that Michigan State will be releasing a depth chart publicly, so here are my best guesses for how things may play out. With that said, I expect a lot of positions to use heavy rotations and there will be different personnel on the field for different packages.

What are your thoughts? Let me know.

Monday, Aug. 26
Men's soccer: vs. Bowling Green
7 p.m. BTN+
Discussion Thread
L 0-1

Thursday, Aug. 29
Women's soccer: vs. Ole Miss
7 p.m. B1G+
Discussion Thread
W 1-0

Friday, Aug. 30
Cross Country: Jeff Drenth Memorial (Shepherd, Mich.)
Discussion Thread

Men's soccer: vs. Villanova
11 a.m. BTN+
Discussion Thread
W 1-0

Field Hockey: at UC Davis
3 p.m.
Discussion Thread
W 4-3

Football: vs. Florida Atlantic
7 p.m. Big Ten Network
Discussion Thread
W 16-10

Volleyball: at Northern Colorado
8 p.m.
Discussion Thread
L 1-3

Saturday, Aug. 31
Volleyball: at Colorado State
8 p.m.
Discussion Thread
W 3-1

Sunday, Sept. 1
Women's soccer: vs. Xavier
1 p.m. B1G+
Discussion Thread
D 2-2

Field Hockey: at California
4 p.m.
Discussion Thread
L 1-2 (OT)

Volleyball: vs. Florida (Fort Collins, Colo.)
5 p.m.
Discussion Thread
L 0-3

Michigan State opens up the season this Friday, and starts things off against Florida Atlantic. This is a perfect tune up game for the Spartans for a couple reasons.

Florida Atlantic was 4-8 last season. Despite having a decent offseason through the transfer portal, the Owls still do not look to be much threat to the Spartans, especially after MSU made so many big positive moves this offseason. FAU also lost their best player from last season, LaJohntay Webster, to Colorado.

The FAU defense was bad last season, especially giving up balls over the middle. If Aiden Chiles is able to be stable, be patient, and find Jack Velling over the middle, it will be an easy victory for the Spartans. As long as Chiles can be smart, it will be a perfect tune up game before a big conference challenge vs Maryland.

Lastly, with Michigan State having some challenging games coming up, the Spartans need to play some games to get them prepared for the future, especially with the inexperience that this team has with each other.