January 1, 2014 was an unprecedented day in Spartan lore. As the boys in green and white stepped onto manicured grass at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, they left their mark on Spartan Nation for years to come. One year later the eighth-ranked Spartans have a chance to leave another mark. While the Cotton Bowl is not the Rose Bowl nor the College Football Playoff, the Spartans have the opportunity to show they are among the nation's best teams. A showdown with the Bears of Baylor in Arlington, Texas today can provide another example of why the Spartans deserve the national spotlight.
Beating fifth-ranked Baylor will not be an easy task. Practically an home game for the Bears, Baylor may have the advantage in crowd-backing. Spartans do travel well, but to quiet the largely Baylor crowd the Spartans will have to score early and stuff the Baylor offense. The Baylor offense is something scary. Think Mariota and the Oregon Ducks when looking for a comparison. Not only is Baylor capable of scoring, they can score quick and without warning. Michigan State's defense has been ripped apart by good quarter backs twice this year, Mariota and JT Barrett of Ohio State, have each torched the Spartans for 300 yards through the air. Bryce Petty is more than capable of doing the same. The Spartan defense will have to play how they did in the first three and a half quarters against Oregon throughout the whole battle. The Spartan offense as well will have to play defense in a way. Keeping Baylor's fast paced offense off the field as long as possible will allow them to control the clock and give their defense time to regroup. Controlling the clock, holding onto the football, and scoring on long drives will give the Spartans a victory today. The offense as well needs to throw in play action. The offense is centered around pounding the football on the ground. If Langford can get his holes and get into the secondary the Spartans will set themselves up for a W. Once Langford starts hitting the holes, the offense will need to pull out the fakes, and go over the top for big gains.
The Spartans have a chance to send their very successful seniors off with another win, and prove that they belong with the nations elite. Today is a measuring block for just how good the Spartans are and can be. Dantonio is a great motivator and will no doubt have the Spartans up and ready for the big stage. Baylor also looks to prove to the committee that they deserved that final playoff spot.This makes for perhaps the best bowl outside of the two playoff games today. Look for the Spartans to have built off their two losses to playoff teams today and capture a W in the heart of Texas.
Prediction: MSU 44, Baylor 39
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