No. 7 Michigan State: Can Spartans challenge Ohio State?

Dr. Saturday will unveil its preseason Top 25 team-by-team during the next 25 days. This list is based on returning starters, schedule and prospects. However, we all know that once the games begin, things can change very quickly. Still, we thought we’d give our best guess heading into the 2015 season.

No. 7 Michigan State

2014 record: 11-2, 7-1 in Big Ten

Returning starters: 7 offense, 6 defense

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2015 Outlook: With 13 returning starters, we’re not going to blame Michigan State fans for looking at November 21 on their calendars.

That’s when the Spartans travel to Columbus to take on the defending national champion Ohio State Buckeyes. The game will likely be for the Big Ten West title. And, if all goes right for both schools, will be a meeting of undefeated teams. If that’s the case, then both teams will likely be in the top five.

Given that Michigan State is going to be on the road, a loss to the Buckeyes shouldn’t drop the Spartans too far, either. Outside of a blowout where a team looks utterly unprepared, it’s hard to fault someone for a loss in those circumstances.

But if Michigan State is going to be undefeated when it takes on Ohio State, not only does it have to navigate road games against Michigan and Nebraska before then, it also has to avenge a 2014 loss to Oregon.

The Ducks head to East Lansing on September 12. When Michigan State traveled to Eugene last year and lost 46-27, it was the worst the Spartans have looked over the past two seasons. Of course, that’s an easy proclamation to make when those two seasons have included a combined three losses. There aren’t many games to choose from.

Michigan State should be the favorite this year, especially if Oregon hasn’t decided on a starting quarterback. With the film of how Ohio State shut down Oregon in the College Football Playoff and the experience of last year’s game, it’d be entirely surprising if Mark Dantonio’s defense gave up 40+ points for a second year.

While he’s not one of the big favorites, quarterback Connor Cook is a Heisman contender. With Jeremy Langford and his nearly 3,000 rushing yards over the past two seasons gone, it stands to reason that Cook will shoulder an even bigger responsibility with the offense.

Though that should be more about Cook’s continued improvement vs. the inability to find a running back. Michigan State’s running game will be fine. Whoever emerges as the winner of the running back competition will have four starters returning on the offensive line. The holes up front should be plentiful.

Player to watch: Michigan State’s running backs

We said above that one player could emerge as Michigan State’s primary runner. But it’s also possible that there won’t be a 1,000-yard rusher from the bunch and the Spartans could split carries between Madre Jordan, Gerald Holmes and freshman L.J. Scott.

Holmes and London have been splitting the first-team reps. The arrangement continuing into the season wouldn’t be a total surprise.

“I think they’ve been doing really well,” Cook said of the team’s running backs via the Detroit Free-Press. “Coming out of the spring we didn’t know who the guy was gonna be, nobody really separated themselves. And I think Gerald and Madre , no one has really separated themselves but they’re both playing equally as good. It’s gonna be a hard decision for coach. Maybe they’re just gonna use a three-man rotation, which would probably be smart. But our O-line is doing great, opening up big holes.”

Dantonio complimented both and called Scott “impressive.”

“(London) and Gerald Holmes are having great camps,” Dantonio said via SpartanMag. “All of them played well. I look for yards after contact, the ability to break runs after contact. All three of those guys really played well.”

Breakout player: Drake Martinez, LB

A week ago, Michigan State had seven returning starters on defense. But senior LB Ed Davis suffered a season-ending knee injury.

There’s no clear-cut favorite to replace Davis at the Sam linebacker spot, but knowing Michigan State, finding a productive replacement shouldn’t be an issue. According to Spartan Mag, Chris Frey and Jon Reschke are the top candidates to replace Davis in the starting lineup.

But Davis’ departure could open up a spot for Martinez, the brother of former Nebraska quarterback Taylor Martinez, within Michigan State’s linebacker rotation. Martinez transferred from Saddlebrook College and is immediately eligible this season. He could be the fastest player on the Spartans and used in blitz packages and as a situational pass rusher. Once he gets his anticipation down, he could be a huge headache for opposing offensive coordinators.

“I think my speed plays a big part of my game, also my aggressiveness but once the knowledge of the playbook comes it should be a lot easier to react and be even faster than where I am now,” Martinez told SpartanMag. “Right now, it’s all about timing off of the snaps and when to anticipate plays.”

Miss one of our Top 25? No. 8 Florida State, No. 9 Clemson, No. 10 Oregon, No. 11 Georgia, No. 12 Notre Dame, No. 13 UCLA, No. 14 LSU, No. 15 Georgia Tech, No. 16 Arkansas, No. 17 Ole Miss, No. 18 Arizona State, No. 19 Oklahoma, No. 20 Arizona, No. 21 Tennessee, No. 22 Missouri, No. 23 Stanford, No. 24 Boise State, No. 25 Wisconsin.