Michigan State at Iowa (10/30/2010)

Michigan St - 27                         Iowa - 24

Spartans +6.5                       over 50.5        

Two heartbreakers in a row for the Hawkeyes. Spartans get by this one they just may run the table. Maybe.  

  Covers by the skin of their teeth!

MICHIGAN STATE  +  6.5

I think the football will bounce in Michigan St's direction.  No matter how much one study for the game, anything can happen.  It's up to the player's attitude.

Michigan St +7

 

Spartans + 6.5

Iowa -6.5.

Look....I'm gonna put this in very easy to swallow bullets.  Sparty has done a great job this year and I love their coach.  He is my kind of guy.  Quite frankly, I wish he was in South Bend right now.  But MSU will not go to Iowa and win......cover???  Maybe, but Iowa has a much better chance to win by 7 or more than MSU does....that's the way I'm looking at it. 

1. My beloved and horrible Irish(by the way take Tulsa!!) went to Sparty at night and had the lead until the last play of the game and moved the ball almost at will on them.  That was the only time they did that all year except the second half of the Mich and W. Mich games.  If ND can do that in that environment, Stanzi and company could run them out of the state of Iowa this week!!!

2. Sparty hadn't left the state of Michigan until last week and they looked bad and unable to stop N Western, until a few big plays and breaks and good coaching calls in the last 6 minutes of the game at N Western. 

3.  Now they leave the state of Mich for the second week in a row!!!  Not an easy task, having a target on your back and packing bags in conference back to back weeks.

4.  Iowa's defense is the best D they have seen all year......and it's on the road and Iowa is coming off a heartbreaking loss that knocked them out of the driver's seat of the conference race. Iowa can stop that run game that Sparty will try to impose. 

5.  Sparty rarely wins big games in late October and November over the last 10 years.  They play far better in the first half of the season.....trend bettors!!!!  Are you listening!?!? 

6.  Sparty started very slowly against the 5th and 6th best teams in the Big 10 the last two weeks.  Illinois and NW both had the lead and certainly outplayed them in the first half.  That is a bad trend for Sparty and 3 times is a charm.......they won't be able to dig out against the 11th ranked scoring D in the country, on the road, with so much at stake if that happens again. 

7.  If Iowa wins, it's a 4 way tie at the top of the Big 10.......It only makes sense that that is the way it should be coming down the stretch in this bruising bloodbath conference. 

All that being said, I really like Mich St as a team and I really respect their coach.  Dantonio could go in there and win.......this team is playing his kind of ball and anyone who calls a fake FG to win a game at home while trailing a rival at 11pm at night has balls made of steel.  If that play doesn't work, Lansing may have burned to the ground.  I really like that guy. 

If Sparty wins......I don't see them losing at any other spot.  And it will be a very special year for MSU........but I just don't see that happening this week out in Iowa after Iowa lost last week. 

Go Green!

https://www.detnews.com/article/20101027/SPORTS0202/10270360/Unbeaten-MSU-is-‘fool’s-gold-’-oddsmaker-says

IRISH, couldn't have said it any better. MSU hasn't really been all that dominate this year. They play tough like you said, their coach is very good. However, their OLINE is a weak point (ESPECIALLY AGAINST IOWAS DLINE WHICH IS POSSIBLY BEST IN THE COUNTRY)

MICH ST barely got by a WEAK ND team and it took a FAKE FG or they would have lost. 

They beat MICH who has worst D in the country... SHOULD of lost to NWESTERN had not been for another FAKE PUNT.

There luck will run out and with them going on the road into IOWA.

NOT TO MENTION, we are on the side of the books. NUMBER 5 TEAM getting points to a lower ranked team? Everyone will be on MICH ST, not me, not today.

ALSO love TULSA big too. BOL

Shoulda, coulda, woulda... I LOVE how you leave out they beat Wisc by 10, how convenient...

Irish - to your point about being torn apart by ND and Northwestern, MSU isn't good against spread team. MSU D is very good against pro-style teams (like Iowa).

MSUs offense is better than Iowa's. Better at every skill position. These two teams have played each other VERY close the past 3 seasons. Iowa may win, but not by 2 scores..

People are acting as if Iowa is playing for everything and MSU is playing for peanuts, it's hilarious. I guess people need to convince themselves to take Iowa, well keep doing it so the line gets over a TD please...

Last big hurdle for Spartans...realistically.  Expect to get the best from both teams.  While it's not a huge stretch to see how Iowa could pull of the win, the spread points are the difference.  Could go either way, just don't see Sparty losing by TD.  

I could have not said it better.  The doubters have some fuel for an argument, but its all propaganda.  Sparty has also played like a #1 ranked team against stiff opponents this year.

I am starting to like that face they will carry the underdog role.  Let's play the fucking game and see what happens.  I can guarantee you if Sparty wins, the same folks that argue against their success will be back next week calling this and that "lucky" and giving new spin to bet against MSU.  It's like a freaking disease.

It took years and years of domination from Boise to just now start to get real respect.  Any many still laugh at the prospects of Boise playing for a title.  It won't take MSU that long since they play in the Big Ten, but sometimes it does feel like it.

I will be on the MSU ML for one unit, and +7 for another unit.  I'm very much looking forward to this game.  Not since the 86 Superbowl was I so pumped to watch a football game.  The beauty is that if they do win, I can look forward to another great game at PSU, and another in the bowl.  It's really a great season.

If MSU cannot get past Iowa, and yes it could happen, I will still be very happy for a great year.

like the girl in the pic?

under...........

Lets try this again

Iowa -6.5

chitownbadger and his other buddy should just make the lines then HAHAHA.

there is a reason IOWA is minus a TD against the 5th ranked team in a cupcake.

 

YOUR OBVIOUSLY A MSU FAN. So lose some money with them. PPL like you make it so easy to win on here (ex BOISE, NC STATE, NW last week)   I'll ride with Iowa here. Goodluck taking the #5 team getting a TD and watch them lose by 10.  BOL

chitownbadger cant bet with your heart buddy, i'll be looking for your comments after the game.

meant to put SPORTSFAN for the second comment. (guy with DANTONI as his logo) lol wonder why hes taking MSU.

Neither of you posted any valid points beside who they beat. Cool, they beat WISC at home in their biggest game of the year.

-they have not played one tough road game this year, one was against MICH in the same state and the other was NW (where they were down 17 and came back and won)

-i just don't see MICH ST being able to run. (Iowa held Wisc to 3.7 yds per carry, Denard Robinson had 18-100, IoST 3.1, PennSt and ROYSTER 2.7 and Arizon 2.1) simply put they are elite up front facing an average OLINE.   Unless Cousins can pull something out of his ass, just dont see how they plan on scoring?

Better at every skill position? I'd say RB they have the upper hand. Iowa alittle better WRs and QBs are a push. Stanzi has been here 4 years and them being at home with MICH ST playings its first TRUE CHALLENEGE ROAD GAME I'll take the lower ranked team given points.  THERE MUST BE A REASON....

Michigan State covers but doesn't get the win.  Too close to call for me, just gonna watch.

so who they have beaten isn't valid... LOL, thats awesome. must play the games on paper then eh?

want some "valid points", here you go:
- MSU has better RBs. not even close.
- MSU has better WRs. close. MSU has more depth though.
- MSU has better TEs. not even close.
- MSU has better QB. don't like Stanzi, having a solid year though.
- Iowa has better d-line. not even close.
- MSU has better LBs. really not even close.
- Both secondary's are average. MSU is more opportunistic though (more INTs).
- MSU has better special teams. not even close.
- Iowa has already lost 2 games. MSU has lost zero.
- Iowa's best wins are PSU or UM, you pick...
- MSU's best win is Wisc....

MSU/UM is a RIVALRY game. It's never easy to win a rivalry game on the road, let alone by 17 points.

MSU didn't look good against Northwestern in the first half but they came back and won. Isn't that the sign of a good team? To win on the road when you aren't at your best.

Iowa was a lower ranked team than Wisc giving 6 and how did that work out for them?.....

Still can't get a good response from any Iowa backers besides "well, MSU is due for a let down and Iowa is MAD"...

Again, keep pushing the line up please...

I also think MSU wins the matchups when compared.  But as I said in an earlier post, I really don't think that matters so much.  This game will be won by the team that plays better, who wants it more, and can execute when challenged.

With that MSU has all the advantages.  Iowa has proven to be a soft team.  Let me say that again... Iowa has proven to be a SOFT TEAM.  Whenever they find themselves in a tight game, and have to execute for a win in the 4th quarter, they fold.  They don't like the pressure, and it effects them adversely.

MSU on the other hand, seems to thrive on the pressure in the moment, and is pulling out all of the close games.  Their confidence is sky high and this point, and you cannot handicap that.

Best of luck Iowa backers, you will need it.

  Spartans

If MSU is so much better, then why are they underdogs. Thats the only question I have. 99% of the time I believe the better team is favored.

nobody is claiming MSU is so better.

if you think the favored team is "better 99% of the time" then you are a donkey. i'm not even going to explain this to you but please post your picks so i can fade you.

just an FYI:
MSU was +5 @ UM and won by 17
MSU was +3 vs my Badgers and won by 10
how's that 99% working? lol...

done discussing this game with people who don't know sh*t about gambling or either of these teams.

Undefeated Top 5 team in the nation is a touchdown underdog vs a team with 2 losses!!! Iowa rolls in this spot. I had Northwestern big last week was up 6-10 late getting 6 and mich st breaks one for the cover when they were about to kneel! This is still only thier second road game of the year outside the state of michigan and believe me this defense is better than anything they have seen ytd. Iowa can handle the run vs anyone especially at home. I have watched mich st a couple times this year and they seem to win with mirrors bc their defense has a ton of holes. Iowa by double digits to fully control this game....LIP