In the year before it actually became a full member of the Big Ten, Rutgers was the butt of all of the Big Ten expansion jokes. A lot of those jokes were warranted, but they really had nothing to do with the university’s football team, which really has been a better program in recent years than most people either realize or will admit. The Scarlet Knights have answered their criticism this year, and they’re now bowl eligible at 6-4.
How to watch Rutgers vs. Michigan State: Game guide, TV/streaming, odds
Can Rutgers get the biggest win of its surprise season?
That’s an impressive feat, an it’s especially surprising that Kyle Flood’s team is bowl eligible with two games to go. But now his team faces arguably its second-toughest opponent of the season with a road game at Michigan State. Ohio State is now the face of the Big Ten after the Buckeyes beat the Spartans in East Lansing, but MSU is still a very good team, and they came out and proved that after the OSU loss with a big win at Maryland.
Can MSU take care of its second Big Ten newbie in as many weeks? Odds are, despite their slight fall in stature, the Spartans should be fine — even if Rutgers is a bit better than we expected.
How to watch, listen, and stream
Game time: Noon ET
TV: BTN
Online streaming: BTN2GO
The numbers
Rankings and records: Michigan State is 8-2 and ranked 11th nationally by the College Football Playoff selection committee. Rutgers is 6-4 and unranked.
Vegas: Michigan State is a 22-point favorite with an over/under of 57.5, per OddsShark.
Weather forecast: A high of 40 and a low of 39 with a chance of rain.
Two things at stake
Michigan State isn’t likely to win the Big Ten East, but it can still make a very good bowl game with a win.
If Rutgers wins this game, Kyle Flood might get some Big Ten Coach of the Year votes.
One big matchup
Rutgers defense vs. Michigan State offense: While Michigan State’s defense is all anyone wants to talk about, the Spartans also have a very potent offense, and it has the ability to blow Rutgers out of the water on Saturday. The Scarlet Knights have been inconsistent on defense this year, and while they had some solid games against Penn State and Michigan, they were also pretty bad against Ohio State and Indiana.
The offense should be able to score at least a little bit, but the only way for Rutgers to keep up in this game is for the defense to have its best game of the year.
Further reading
Read The Only Colors for more on Michigan State and On The Banks for more on Rutgers.
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