Joe Robbins/Getty Images Odds Shark lists Ohio State as a 4-1 favorite to win the 2016 College Football Playoff, in part because the Big Ten, unlike the SEC, Pac-12 and Big 12, sports no other team among the top seven favorites. The Big Ten team with the best chance of beating OSU, Michigan State, lost by 12 points at home to the Buckeyes last season, and next year must travel to Columbus. Sparty handed Ohio State its first loss of the Urban Meyer era in the 2013 Big Ten Championship Game. After three years, it is still the only Big Ten team that knows the taste of Meyer’s blood. But, as last year’s meeting made painfully clear, it has a long way to go before it can reassume the Big Ten throne. Here’s where it most desperately needs improvements: Pass Defense Tom Pennington/Getty Images It’s alarming how fast this secondary went from strength to weakness. One year after fielding the “No Fly Zone,” a secondary replete with NFL talent, the Spartans allowed a staggering number of big plays. 2014 Michigan State Pass Defense YPG (Rk) 30+ Yard Plays (Rk) 40+ Yard Plays (Rk) 50+ Yard Plays (Rk) 227.3 (61) 24 (110) 15 (114) 7 (105) Source: cfbstats.com Next year, the Spartans lose All-Big Ten defensive back Kurtis Drummond and projected first-round NFL draft pick Trae Waynes. In other words, a secondary that already struggled to contain big plays loses by far its two best weapons for containing big plays. Who steps up to replace them? At safety, Montae Nicholson and RJ Williamson seem locked into starting roles. …
Continue Reading: What Michigan State Must Improve to Beat Ohio State, Seize Big Ten in 2015
