A 6-Pack of Game Predictions on MSU vs. Washington State,

Holiday Bowl Preview

1. MSU will have a very hard time moving the ball. Novice football fans will be shocked at how good Washington State is on defense. Not only are they ranked 14th in the nation in overall defense, they've been successful against the type of offenses Mike Leach compared MSU to this week, Stanford (21 pts) and Utah (25 pts), this year. MSU has been unable to run the ball against good defenses all year long and I don't think this will be any different.

2. The MSU defense faces an offense that will remind Spartan fans of the one they saw in Evanston. I would be surprised if Harlon Barnett doesn't make some adjustments, both schematically as well as personnel-wise, to what happened in that game when NW threw for 356. I think you will see more personnel packages that will be on the field next year than those you saw on the field this year. You don't want any part of this defense if you are going to play Iowa football and slam it up the middle. But this is the scheme that could hurt MSU with their pass defense issues at LB and safety. We will see what changes Barnett comes up with to face this "Air Raid" offense.

3. MSU seems to be the more hungry, focused, and motivated football team. I guess that would make sense considering they weren't in ANY BOWL GAME last year! There is some chip on the shoulder due to not playing in a New Year's Day game, but I think that works towards the motivation. Contrast that with Washington State who was playing for a spot in the Pac-12 championship game up until the final game of the year in the "Apple Cup."

4. If Washington State doesn't turn the ball over, I think they win. While they are a top 5 team in turnover differential, their losses have been plagued with turnovers (notably Cal). I'm not sure MSU will be able to sustain long drives on this defense, but it's a different story with a short field.

5. Something is not quite right with this Washington State squad. Maybe it's more issues like the top WR, Martin, getting booted. It could be the DC Grinch to Ohio State talk. Rumored injuries to Hercules or Falk? It seems like MSU is the program in more stable condition (shocking how that can change in 12 months) and maybe that matters tonight.

6. MSU wins the game, 27-24. People make the mistake of picking bowl winners based on talent. More often that not, motivation, focus, coaching, and preparation mean even more than talent. I think Washington State is a better football team by a little bit, but I think so many of those other intangibles point to a close MSU win.