After a great start in 2005, and by great I mean 4-0 with a number 11 national ranking which included a win over Notre Dame, the Michigan State Spartans won just 1 of their last 7 games and finished with only 2 wins in the Big 10. Despite a down year, the expectations for the Spartans in 2006 couldnt be higher.

The offense, led by talented quarterback Drew Stanton and a host or speedy receivers, will be able to score the football against the best defenses in the country. It will be the defense that is going to have to step up if the Spartans want to make it over the hump this season. Last year, the Spartans defense allowed their opponents to score touchdowns 70% of the time they entered the red zone. Michigan State was undoubtedly the worst in the Big 10 in this category and this was a big reason why they only managed 2 conference wins.

Last season, the defensive line was Michigan States biggest weakness. This season the Spartans will have more depth up front, which will at least keep the starters fresher and in turn will allow them to make more plays. However, the defensive line will still be the weak point of the Spartans and it could keep them from competing with teams like Michigan and Ohio State who run the football well. The Spartans also need their defensive front to get more penetration and to put some pressure on the quarterback. One bright spot on the Spartan defense is linebacker David Herron who just might be the best linebacker in the Big 10. He runs well and has great play-reading instincts, but he could still use some work in pass coverage. If the defensive line can step up their play, it will make things a lot easier on Herron as he wont have to shuck multiple blocks every play. Hell start making more tackles heading up the field instead of down it.

After back to back sub .500 season, expect the Spartans to be back bowling this year. They will get off to a 3-0 start with wins over Idaho, Eastern Michigan and Pittsburgh, before falling to Notre Dame on September 23rd. Theyll get a short vacation the following week with Illinois before playing at Ann Arbor and hosting Ohio state in back to back weeks. The rest of the Big 10 season should go fairly smoothly for the Spartans, with the exception of Penn State who they play in Happy Valley in the final week of the season, if they can avoid the injury bug and if the defense shows its expected improvement from last season.