Michigan State football best- and worst-case scenarios for the 2024 season

Entering a Michigan State football season with a wide range of potential outcomes, let’s look at the best- and worst-case scenarios for this coming season.

Best-case scenario for MSU’s football season

There’s a world where not only are the Spartans a little more capable than outside projections, but they also wind up being just a little bit better than most of their opponents in what appears to be a schedule with as many as seven toss-up games.

Hope for this sort of season begins with sophomore quarterback Aidan Chiles being a dynamic player with a knack for big plays and smart decisions, giving the Spartans the sort of dual-threat force they’ve never had at the quarterback position.

Michigan State’s quarterback Aidan Chiles during camp on Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, at the indoor practice facility in East Lansing.

Chiles doesn’t turn 19 until after the second game and he’s never started a game before this Friday, so greatness without hiccups is an unreasonable ask. It is for any college QB. The question isn’t whether Chiles can develop into a game-changing quarterback. It’s whether he’ll be that this season. If he’s a relatively accurate passer, makes the right reads more often than not and becomes a problem for defenses with his legs, especially in short-yardage situations and in the red zone, then the forecast for MSU’s season changes.

There’s also a chance that MSU’s offensive line — which hasn’t been a strength of the program in nearly a decade — comes into its own, featuring an All-American transfer center and some younger players just entering their performance years.

MSU should have enough playmakers on offense — at tight end, running back and probably at receiver — for the offense to work. The question there, like at quarterback, is whether they’ve got a ready-to-go…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/michigan-state-football-best-worst-230058239.html

Author : Lansing State Journal

Publish date : 2024-08-26 23:00:58

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