So, sometimes I like to make bold predictions. Sometimes they work out for me ("UCONN will win the NCAA Tournament as a No. 4 seed") and sometimes they do not ("MSU is going to blow out Kansas State in the Sweet Sixteen.") I keep in mind that I have appointed myself to the made-up position of Chief Optimism Officer for Spartans Illustrated.
With that said, here is the prediction:
Barring significant injuries (again), MSU is going to upset Washington on Week 3 to go 3-0 to start the season.
Why do I say that? I have a few reasons.
First, I tend to think that the "body clock" concept is very real. Traveling from west to east is harder than going from east to west. Truth be told, I think that this fact also helped MSU to beat USC in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. I think that USC was a half-step slow that day due to being a west coast team playing in the Eastern Time Zone at noon. I think that Washington will be just a little dull from the travel. This is not really evidence, but ESPN's FPI actually has MSU favored slightly in this game right now (at about -2) and part of the "logic" in the algorithm is travel distance. Take that for what it is worth...
Second, I was talking to Derrick Harmon a bit today at player availability, and he when I asked him which games he was looking forward to the most, he said Michigan (of course) and then Washington. When I pressed him, he said that he felt MSU didn't play anywhere near their potential last year and he wants to show the world that. He has that game circled and I bet many of his teammates do as well.
Third, the timing on the schedule is good. MSU will have two games to work out kinks with the new QB and some of the other new faces. I honestly expect the CMU gain could get scary at times (like MSU trailing in the 3rd quarter scary) but IF MSU can weather the storm (and I think that they ultimately will) I think that they will hit their stride just in time for the jetlagged Huskies to come into town.
Am I crazy? Maybe, but this has been on my mind for several days now and talking to Harmon today sealed it for me. So, I am putting in my crystal ball for the MSU upset. Hopefully, I won't have to issue the "I was wrong" message in a few weeks.
With that said, here is the prediction:
Barring significant injuries (again), MSU is going to upset Washington on Week 3 to go 3-0 to start the season.
Why do I say that? I have a few reasons.
First, I tend to think that the "body clock" concept is very real. Traveling from west to east is harder than going from east to west. Truth be told, I think that this fact also helped MSU to beat USC in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. I think that USC was a half-step slow that day due to being a west coast team playing in the Eastern Time Zone at noon. I think that Washington will be just a little dull from the travel. This is not really evidence, but ESPN's FPI actually has MSU favored slightly in this game right now (at about -2) and part of the "logic" in the algorithm is travel distance. Take that for what it is worth...
Second, I was talking to Derrick Harmon a bit today at player availability, and he when I asked him which games he was looking forward to the most, he said Michigan (of course) and then Washington. When I pressed him, he said that he felt MSU didn't play anywhere near their potential last year and he wants to show the world that. He has that game circled and I bet many of his teammates do as well.
Third, the timing on the schedule is good. MSU will have two games to work out kinks with the new QB and some of the other new faces. I honestly expect the CMU gain could get scary at times (like MSU trailing in the 3rd quarter scary) but IF MSU can weather the storm (and I think that they ultimately will) I think that they will hit their stride just in time for the jetlagged Huskies to come into town.
Am I crazy? Maybe, but this has been on my mind for several days now and talking to Harmon today sealed it for me. So, I am putting in my crystal ball for the MSU upset. Hopefully, I won't have to issue the "I was wrong" message in a few weeks.
