Maryland Football: Michigan State Update With Spartan Avenue

The Maryland football team still is searching for their first Big Ten victory and the Terrapins travel to East Lansing on Saturday.

For the third consecutive week, Maryland will face one of the top teams in the conference. The Spartans are coming off a deflating loss against Nebraska in which it appears that their College Football Playoff hopes were dashed.

For a more in-depth look at Wisconsin, we caught up with Connor Muldowney, who is the editor over at FanSided’s Michigan State site Spartan Avenue. We asked Connor five questions about the Spartans.

Take a look at our Q&A session below:

TS: How deflating was the Nebraska game?

SA: The Nebraska result was something I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. Watching a perfect season go from promising when the Spartans took a 12-point lead with under four minutes left to impossible as the Cornhuskers scored the game-winning touchdown with 17 seconds left. It was pretty ought and deflating, for sure.

However, the opportunity to win a Big Ten title is still there, and these players know that. Another loss would definitely kill the Spartans’ confidence.

TS: If the Spartans don’t make the College Football Playoff, is this season viewed as a failure?

SA:Yes. The goal before the season was a College Football Playoff berth and anything less is definitely going to be considered a failure. That’s how spoiled we have become in East Lansing. However, Mark Dantonio knows that 11-2 seasons with a January bowl game are good, but his goal is to “reach higher” and win a national title.

This might be the head coach’s best chance to do so within the next couple of years as he has the best quarterback in the Big Ten on his roster still.

TS: In your opinion, who is the top team in the Big Ten?

SA:Right now, I still think the best team in the conference is Ohio State. Iowa has been playing out of its mind through nine games, but the Hawkeyes need to beat the Buckeyes for me to think otherwise. I think until the Buckeyes are knocked off their unbeaten throne, they are still the Big Ten’s best.

My top-five would be Ohio State, Iowa, Michigan State, Michigan and then Northwestern.

TS: Where does Connor Cook rank all-time in terms of Michigan State quarterbacks?

SA: Connor Cook is the best quarterback in school history. Usually, when people think of the top quarterbacks in MSU history, Kirk Cousins comes to mind, but the senior QB has surpassed him recently. Besides being the winningest MSU quarterback of all time, Cook has thrown the most touchdown passes and is just 664 passing yards away from topping that list as well.

TS: Will Michigan State win out the rest of the way?

SA: This is a tough one for me to answer. Do I, as a graduate of MSU, want the Spartans to win out? Yes. Do I think they will? Honestly, no. I would loved to be proved wrong, though.

Ohio State will likely take the Spartans down in Columbus by 10 points, just my guess, and Maryland isn’t exactly going to be the easiest of tasks this weekend, especially seeing how the Spartans have played against inferior opponents. Perry Hills could give this defense some trouble.

Michigan State will win two out of the final three games, losing to Ohio State and missing out on a chance to play for the Big Ten title.