Michigan State football vs. Wisconsin predictions: Can Spartans finally end slide?
Free Press sports writers predict the Michigan State Spartans football game vs. Wisconsin Badgers on Saturday in East Lansing (4 p.m., Fox). The Badgers are about a touchdown favorite.
Carlos Monarrez
Jump around, Spartans fans! Sure, the Badgers trounced Northwestern last week, getting their post-firing bump after canning Paul Chryst the week prior. But MSU isn’t a green-and-white version of Northwestern, especially for homecoming and with bowl eligibility pretty much being decided with this game, the first of its last four winnable games, ’cause the 2-4 Spartans ain’t winning at Michigan or at Penn State. The pick: Michigan State 27, Wisconsin 26.
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Rainer Sabin
In Jim Leonhard’s rousing debut against Northwestern last Saturday, the Badgers appeared rejuvenated as they demolished the Wildcats by 35 points. The firing of Chryst and the subsequent promotion of Leonhard may have jumpstarted the Badgers and sowed the seeds for a second-half surge. Meanwhile, the Spartans have stagnated and shown little progress in addressing their most troublesome concerns. With no signs of change, MSU, a home underdog, appears headed for its fifth straight loss. The pick: Wisconsin 30, Michigan State 21.
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Jeff Seidel
It’s like a nasty, vicious snowball rolling downhill. A bad season will get even worse for the Spartans. Leonard will have the Badgers riding high. And all of these losses have big-time consequences. You are going to see more MSU commits start to have second thoughts. The pick: Wisconsin 28, Michigan State 14.
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Chris Solari
The Spartans find some traction early against the Badgers’ defense, with Thorne working efficiently before the lack of a run game halts that. Wisconsin capitalizes on the persistent problems in the MSU secondary, with Graham Mertz spreading the ball around to send Mel Tucker’s team into the bye week with a fifth straight defeat, albeit a more competitive one than the previous four. The pick: Wisconsin 28, Michigan State 24.
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Shawn Windsor
This is a critical game for Tucker and his Spartans. Lose here and a bowl game seems improbable and three-or-four-win season seems more probable. For the first time in a few weeks, MSU should be able to match up in the trenches, which should keep this game close. Still, the timing stinks for the Spartans, as the Badgers come in after having lost their coach, Paul Chryst. The pick: Wisconsin 23, Michigan State 20.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan State football vs. Wisconsin picks: Can slide finally end?
