Michigan State needed a late rally to escape Utah State’s upset bid in last week’s season opener. How will the Spartans fare against a Power 5 opponent on the road in Week 2 — and how damaging would a loss be for the Big Ten?
Michigan State vs. Arizona State 2018 live stream: Time, TV channel, pick/prediction, and how to watch online
How will the Spartans bounce back after a close call in their season opener?
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The Midwest’s top conference struggled through the opening week of the season. Michigan lost to Notre Dame, and both MSU and Penn State needed late rallies to overcome Group of Five opponents. Now the Pac-12 is in position to pick up the momentum the Big Ten has dropped — first when Colorado travels east to face Nebraska, and later when Arizona State aims for the first big win of the Herm Edwards era when the Sun Devils play host to the Spartans Saturday night.
Time, TV channel, and streaming info
- Time: 10:45 p.m. ET
- Location: Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, AZ
- TV: ESPN
- Streaming: Watch ESPN
- Odds: Michigan State is favored by 6 points.
Michigan State vs. Arizona State news:
- Isaiah Floyd is a junior college transfer, but he certainly looked the part of an FBS tailback in last week’s win.
- Michigan State’s secondary needs work — which isn’t great when it’s about to face a QB who just torched San Antonio for four touchdowns and nearly 10 yards per pass.
- Hell yeah, it’s a blackout game at Sun Devil Stadium.
- Felton Davis proved he was an elite college wideout against Utah State — and he might need to bail out the Spartans again on Saturday.
No, seriously, what should we expect from Herm Edwards?
Arizona State pulled off the offseason’s most surprising coaching hire when it lured Edwards out of the broadcasting booth and into the college ranks for the first time since 1989. Edwards spent that season as a defensive backs coach with San Jose State, then spent 28 years working in the NFL, serving as head coach for both the Jets and Chiefs in the process.
That’s quite the resume, but Edwards hasn’t been a coach in any regard since 2008, and now he’s taking on an entirely different beast with a Pac-12 program. His debut started off on the right foot with a 49-7 rout over Texas-San Antonio, but the degree of difficult will be turned way up Saturday. Can Edwards coax another four-touchdown performance from quarterback Manny Williams? Could he possibly out-coach one of the Big Ten’s most accomplished minds in Mark D’Antonio?
We’ll know more after Week 2.
Michigan State vs. Arizona State prediction:
S&P+ ratings dropped Michigan State 14 spots for nearly getting upset by Utah State. That still kept the Spartans two spots higher in the rankings than No. 29 Arizona State, who rose 23 spots after throttling a team that leapt to the FBS just six years ago. The formula isn’t bullish on the Sun Devils’ chances to win on Saturday, however; this year’s season preview gave ASU just a 22 percent chance of victory in Tempe.
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