Michigan State
vs.
Northwestern
College
Football Pick
11/23/13
Michigan State keeps moving up the BCS charts ever so slightly, now sitting at No. 13 in the standings. It’ll be another tough Game for them at Northwestern this weekend. While the Wildcats have lost six straight Games, they haven’t been pushovers. The Spartans are -7.5 point favorites on the road. at 5 dimes sportsbook. There is also a -7 on the board at betonline. This is as of Tuesday afternoon.
Two of the Wildcats’ last three losses have come in overtime, and that other loss came on a last minute Hail Mary at Nebraska. When playing at its best, this is a team that gave Ohio State a run for its money, but eventually fell short at home. Their loss against Michigan last week was unfortunate, as the Wolverines made an incredible field goal to tie it up as time expired.
The Spartans know this is yet another difficult Game on the road. Northwestern actually went to East LAnsing last season and beat MSU 23-20. Michigan State outgained Northwestern by more than 100 yards, but in the end it wasn’t enough, with two interceptions costing the Game. However, if the Wildcats can only muster 57 yards on the ground again, it will be tough for them to get this win.
Michigan State’s defense played one of its worst Games of the year last week, yet the offense finally stepped up and put 41 points on the board. Quarterback Connor Cook and his receivers made some incredible plays when needed to get the big win at Nebraska. Cook’s numbers have been respectable this year with 14 TDs and three INTs, even though he doesn’t get much credit. Still, Michigan State lives by the ground Game and Jeremy LAngford, who now has at least 100 yards in five straight Games to go with nine touchdowns in those Games.
Northwestern can be beat on the ground, which is where Michigan State will attack. If the Spartans can move the ball and control the clock, it will be tough for NW to beat this defense.
The Wildcats used to have one of the top offenses in the conference, scoring at least 30 points in its first five Games. However, due to injuries and just not playing that well, they have dropped. Running QB Kain Colter was stuffed by the Spartans last year and it’s unlikely he’ll rack up a ton of yards here. It may come down to quarterback Trevor Siemian, who has seven TDs and seven INTs on the year. Treyvon Green took over for the injured Venric Mark at running back, but he’s a step down which has hurt greatly.
With three Conference wins on the road, the Spartans have shown they can win Games away from home. And surprisingly, Michigan State has won Four straight Games at Northwestern. To stop that streak, the Wildcats will need to step up defensively and keep this a low scoring Game, because not many can get by the MSU defense anyway.
The Spartans are 5-1 ATS in their last six Games, and 6-0-1 ATS in their last seven Games on the road. The Wildcats are just 1-7 ATS in their last eight Games and 0-5 ATS in their last five Games at home. In this meeting, the Wildcats are 6-3 ATS in the last nine matchups.
The Spartans have a lot of believers. The betting trends at 5dimes.com show that 89% of the action as of Tuesday afternoon has come in on Michigan State.
We normally don’t offer Our Key Releases on a weekly basis. However, this week since we are playing 7 Games, possibly 8, you can pick them all up for $20. This Game is one of the Key Releases. If we don’t go at least 4-3 this week, you’ll also receive next weeks plays. Click Here to Purchase