Michigan State-Notre Dame Preview and Prediction

September 16, 2009 By 6 Comments

Notre Dame-Michigan State Preview - Prediction - Point Spread - Kickoff Time - TVThis game is not as hyped up as the Michigan-Notre Dame game, but it’s still a big game — maybe even bigger — for the Fighting Irish.

Let me just say one thing looking back at last weekend and then we can get into the preview: Notre Dame lost the Michigan game because of terrible, crazy, offensive play calling.

What were they thinking when they called two pass plays with the lead late in the 4th quarter!? Run the ball and make Michigan use their timeouts! It was just dumb play calling at its “finest”.

Now back to the ND-MSU preview. Before we delve into the analysis, here are the particulars for Saturday’s matchup:

Michigan State at Notre Dame

  • Michigan State-Notre Dame Date: Saturday, September 19th
  • Michigan State-Notre Dame State Kickoff Time: 3:30 ET
  • Michigan State-Notre Dame TV Channel: NBC
  • Michigan State-Notre Dame Point Spread: Notre Dame -10.5

Notre Dame has to win this game, and on paper Notre Dame is the stronger team; but this is sports, and if you haven’t found out yet that anything can happened in sports, well you’re not a very astute fan.

So while Notre Dame should win this game, don’t count out Michigan State too easily.

Despite the 30+ points given up against Michigan, Notre Dame’s defense has improved dramatically. While the Irish offense is explosive, I believe it is their defense that will be the key to this game. Defense wins football games, as the old adage goes, and Notre Dame has the defense to do beat Michigan State, along with the offense to back it up.

Michigan State needs to stay to the basics of football. That is playing smart football, not giving up many turnovers, and converting on chances. Michigan State is running against the wind in this game, but playing smart football can make all the difference.

This game will go to the team with the better choices, play calling, and whoever converts on the others mistakes. Those are fairly common things you have to do to win a football game, but not many teams can do that in a game, and they end up paying the price for not sticking to the basics.

Overall I see Notre Dame winning this game comfortably. if not, then maybe Notre Dame isn’t as good as they were hyped to be.

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Filed Under: CFB, Featured Column Tagged With: CFB, charlie weis, Michigan State, ncaa, Notre Dame
About Tyler Juranovich

Tyler Juranovich is an Indiana native and is an avid Chicago Blackhawks and Bears fan who occasionally dabbles in obsession with Jay Cutler, Conor Oberst, and Eddie Vedder. My two other loves are books and movies. Follow me on twitter @tylerjuranovuch or email me at tyler.juranovich@gmail.com

  • Grant greenwood

    Juranovich, to put it bluntly, you are an ignorant jackass. To say that an 0-2 notre dame team would beat an undefeated michigan state team is derisively idiotic. Dantonio is ten times the coach butch Kelly is. Up yours you poor excuse for a sportswriter.

  • http://www.midwestsportsfans.com JerodMSF

    Grant, though you disrespected one of our writers by calling him an ignorant jackass, I will try to be more respectful in pointing out that this post is from 2009. It even has a giant picture of Charlie Weis on it, which should have been a dead giveaway of its age if you weren't going to read the post before commenting (which it's clear you did not). So, just a word of wisdom: make sure you check the date of what you're reading before calling someone else an ignorant jackass.

    Thanks for your visit.

  • TheSportsMuse

    By the way, I'll play the role of Jane Curtain to Grant's Dan Aykroyd and I'll say it. Whether the post is 2 years old or not, the statement holds. Notre Dame will beat Michigan State this weekend.

  • http://theseaofred.com Jay

    Well, the Irish are 4.5 point favorites on Saturday so count me in the Notre Dame wins camp.

  • BadMFfromChicago

    Whoever is responsible for submitting the article regarding Saturday's game is a very ignorant dumb Notre Dame zomby who is planting the illusion that they are better than they are. They are losing because they monopolized the college football hall of fame which finally thank God will be moved in 2012. Once it is in a new location it will regain it's prominent importance to the game.. Their players celebrate too muc and. Bryan Kelly is a tyrant who does nothing but yell at his playerrs unnecessarily. He has never Coached at this level. Notre Dame is not Cincinnati and the Big ten is not conference USA or whatever little league he used to Coach. I do not respect reporters who submit garbage like the above article. Notre Dame is guilty of conspiracy on their campus last year for concealing the sexual assault of a young girl by a former N.D. All American and pro football hall of fame player's son. They have no integrity and they have bad KARMA because of it.

  • http://www.midwestsportsfans.com JerodMSF

    And what should we call the person responsible for submitting a comment on an article from 2009? Sorry to be flippant, but it boggles by mind how willing people are to comment on articles they either didn't read or didn't pay attention to. THERE IS A GIANT PICTURE OF CHARLIE WEIS AT THE TOP OF THE ARTICLE! The date is also there. I really do appreciate the visit and comment, so don't take this wrong way, but I really am getting tired of people calling our hard-working, earnest writers ignorant when the people tossing around the insults don't even realize they're reading an old article.