Western Michigan vs. Michigan State Football Prediction and Preview

Western Michigan plays Michigan State in the first game of the college football season on Friday. Last season, Western Michigan upset Pitt, the eventual Atlantic Coast Conference champion, but they finished in last place in their conference. Michigan won the Big Ten championship and advanced to the College Football Playoff last season.

Western Michigan will play with one or two redshirt freshmen quarterbacks. Corey Crooms is the most productive returning wideout. The top two running backs remain in the fold. Michigan State is 16th in FCS. Michigan is 3rd in MAC and 3nd in conference. They play Western Michigan on Saturday. It's a game between two highly ranked teams.

Michigan State is looking for a replacement for Kenneth Walker III, who left for the NFL. Jalen Berger and Jarek Broussard are new running back transfers. The offensive line returns plenty of starting experience, but durability is a question mark. Payton Thorne is the starting quarterback and his 3,232 passing yards are fourth among returning signal-callers in the Big Ten. His top target, wide receiver Jayden Reed, will return for his senior season. Western Michigan is an Athlon Sports preseason first-team All-Big Ten selection.  

Michigan State's defense was the team's weakness last season. Western Michigan lost a lot of players from last year's team. The Broncos lost some experienced players, but most of their starters have returned. Michigan State has a strong rushing defense. WesternMichigan vs. Miser State is a game of experience.