Spartans Have Opportunity to Make Big Ten Race a Two-Team Battle
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The No. 8 Michigan State Spartans have a big opportunity on their hands with the Wisconsin Badgers coming into town for a high-stakes Big Ten showdown.
If the Spartans are able to knock off No. 11 Wisconsin, the Badgers will be out of contention for the Big Ten title.
Going into Sunday, MSU sits in a first-place tie with its in-state rivals, the Michigan Wolverines. With three games remaining to play on the regular season and the Badgers being just two games out of first place, a Spartan win would eliminate Wisconsin, putting all eyes on the final game of MSU's regular season against the Wolverines.
Lets not get too ahead of ourselves here, though. Wisconsin is one of the more impressive programs in the Big Ten and it has shown all season long. Going into Sunday's matchup, the Badgers hold a 22-6 record and a 12-5 record when facing opponents in the conference.
The job will not be easy, but as we have seen all season long, and even in MSU's recent dramatic victory over the Maryland Terrapins, the Spartans are showing no signs of letting up any pressure. The defense played strong against the Terps to hold them off the scoreboard, but the task seems even taller against Wisconsin.
On the season, the Badgers rank fourth in the Big Ten in scoring with 81.9 points per game, whereas the Spartans rank eighth with 78.2. After Wisconsin's commanding victory over the Washington Huskies, MSU's defense will need to have the strong showing it's capable of.
Eliminating Wisconsin from contention is a bigger deal than some would think. As previously stated, there are only three games left on the Spartans' schedule, and if MSU loses, the Big Ten title will still be up for grabs for the Badgers. With an MSU victory, the race trims to just two teams.
The Spartans will surely have to score more than they did in their slim victory over the Terrapins. Senior Jaden Akins and freshman Jase Richardson are the top scorers for the program; If MSU ends up having its hand raised in victory, it will likely due to one of or both players executing when the team needs them the most.
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Dominic Minchella holds a communications degree from Eastern Michigan University. He is a former MLB writer and joins our team ad an NFL/College team reporter on Sports Illustrated