#Xavier Henderson

The second big weekend of spring games features three early favorites to win the College Football Playoff National Championship. Georgia, the reigning champion in college football, takes the field in the afternoon, along with big hitters like Alabama, Ohio State and Miami. As we get set for the loaded slate this weekend, Chip Patterson broke down…

Pickswise provides exclusive sports betting content to MLive.com, including picks, analysis, tools, games and sportsbook offers to help bettors get in on the action. Please wager responsibly. This Big Ten matchup features two teams trending in completely different directions. On one side, Michigan State is reeling after a pair of ugly defeats…

Michigan State heads into 2022 as one of the top curiosities in college football, with the Spartans attempting to follow up on last year's surprising 11-2 season, No. 9 national ranking and Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl victory, all of which allowed third-year coach Mel Tucker to gain traction as a rising force in the profession. "Last year, we as a staff…

The Big Ten announced its annual awards for standout defensive and special teams players in the league on Tuesday afternoon as well select coaches awards and Michigan and Michigan State were well represented. Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year while the Wolverines had six players earn All-league honors, three get…

Michigan State's defense has gone from a debilitating weakness to a unit that you might argue is a strength. Not the sort of strength you want to lean on with all of your weight, but a strength relative to many other defenses in the Big Ten. Seriously. The Spartans have allowed seven touchdowns total in their last three games - including two to a…

In the midst of a three-game losing streak, Michigan State returns to Spartan Stadium this week welcoming what will likely be the best team they will face all season. Ohio State (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten) comes to East Lansing ranked No. 3 in the country, having outscored opponents 244-74 through five weeks. Michigan State (2-3, 0-2) is trying to avoid its…

MSU's football team badly needs some sort of positive identity. If one is going to take hold this season, it's likely to be the strength of the Spartans' offensive playmakers. That's their only potential matchup advantage through most of the rest of their schedule. But no offense in the history of football has ever been productive if its offensive…

After an impressive 11-win campaign in 2021, Michigan State is looking to build on its success heading into 2022. Mel Tucker and the Spartans have been a tough one for the oddsmakers to figure out, as the current over/under projection for MSU is set at 7.5. The schedule is certainly tough, with the gauntlet of the Big Ten East and a non-conference…

Week 2 in college football offers an interesting blend of conference games and high-profile non-conference matchups. Read on for our best parlay picks for Week 2's college football action. This week's three-leg parlay involves a team total for a top-25 team and two road underdogs that each play at ranked opponents. Below, we offer our parlay picks…

Kickoff temperature in East Lansing was a glorious 61 degrees on Saturday. You couldn't ask for a more welcoming embrace for the first football game following the autumnal equinox. Yet Michigan State coach Mel Tucker looked as if he was coaching a game somewhere near the equator. It did not take the internet long to notice. Jokes aside, Tucker's…

EAST LANSING - The final game of nonconference play was a loss for Michigan State. The Big Ten opener seven days later was another humbling defeat for the Spartans. A week after a 39-28 loss at Washington, Michigan State (2-2, 0-1 Big Ten) was steamrolled 34-7 at home by Minnesota (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten) on Saturday. Here are takeaways and observations…

Michigan State's Mel Tucker shares harsh truths after Washington lossMichigan State football coach Mel Tucker speaks to the media on Monday, Sept. 19, 2022, in East Lansing. Free Press sports writer Chris Solari looks ahead to Michigan State football's Big Ten opener Saturday against Minnesota: Matchup: No. 21 Michigan State (2-1, 0-0 Big Ten) vs.…

Before each Minnesota football game, GopherIllustrated will ask five questions of an opposing beat writer. This week, we spoke with Michigan State beat writer Stephen Brooks of SpartanTailgate to preview the Gophers' Week 4 away game against the Michigan State Spartans. 1) After winning two laughers against MAC teams to open the season, Michigan…

This column finally broke out of its rut in Week 3 of the college football season, going 3-1 by correctly predicting an easy Mississippi win over circling-the-drain Georgia Tech and two unders in Texas A&M-Miami and Kansas State-Tulane. The only loss was Fresno State failing to keep up with USC after its quarterback suffered a high-ankle sprain in…

The South Florida Bulls will travel to take on the in-state Florida Gators in a primetime college football matchup on Saturday night in Gainesville. With that said, it's a good time to check out our college football odds series, which includes a South Florida-Florida prediction and pick, laid out below. South Florida has gone 1-1 in the young…

With Washington football hosting No.11 Michigan State Saturday evening, The Daily sat down with Alex Faber of The State News to get a rundown on the Spartans. For Washington, this is one of the biggest home games in recent memory. What does this game mean for Michigan State? Last year was head coach Mel Tucker's second year in the program. They…

Michael Penix Jr. has thrived in his first two games under center for Washington, and we like that to continue against what is still a weak Spartans secondary. Read more in our Michigan State vs. Washington picks below. The Washington Huskies have started the year red hot, ranking third in total offense en route to a 2-0 record. The Michigan State…

This isn't a game Michigan State can lose. Even in the worst-case scenarios. Not like the Western Michigan game was. Akron appears to be a bottom-tier team in college football, at the beginning of another attempted rebuild. So any improvement from MSU has to come from its own focus and maturity, from its ability to treat itself as the opponent.…

Welcome to the 49th article in the series. This marks the second-to-last time I will be covering the 2021 Michigan State football team, with the 2022 season beginning in only two days. Yesterday, I mentioned that Michigan State has a list of iconic moments from the last decade and a half. "Trouble with the snap," Elsworth's Rose Bowl tackle, and…

Michigan State isn't a favorite to win the Big Ten, but it has the right stuff to make a run. Despite losing WR Jalen Nailor and RB Kenneth Walker III, the Spartans' offense remains potent heading into 2022. There are some questions of depth - which will be graded in this piece - but there is enough top-end talent to guide the ship. Mel Tucker has…

Heading into the 2022 college football season, Michigan State isn't going to catch anyone by surprise. After Mel Tucker worked his magic for 11 wins in 2021, the Spartans aren't in an underdog role any longer. What do oddsmakers have in store for Michigan sports bettors when it comes to MSU's 2022 odds? Here's what MSU is looking at for odds to win…