College Football: Five best dark horse picks to win National Championship in 2017

5. Michigan State Spartans

2016 Record: 3-9 (1-8 Big 10)

National Championship Odds: +50,000

As one of the most disappointing teams of the 2016 season, the Michigan State Spartans face an uphill battle getting back to relevancy in 2017. Yet, if there’s one head coach in the Big 10 that can make something out of nothing very quickly, it’s Mark Dantonio.

Before a disappointing 2016 campaign, the Spartans were consistently one of the best teams in the Big 10 and even made an appearance in the 2015 College Football Playoff. They won the Big 10 Championship in that same season.

The biggest challenge facing Michigan State is the difficulty of the 2017 schedule. They face the Ohio State Buckeyes, Michigan Wolverines, Minnesota Golden Gophers and Northwestern Wildcats on the road. The home schedule is not much easier with Penn State, Iowa and Notre Dame all coming to East Lansing.

Good news for Michigan State is that they have a fresh start at quarterback with Brian Lewerke and one of the best running backs in the Big 10 with L.J. Scott. Senior defensive end Demetrius Cooper leads a defense that has a lot of fresh faces but also has some talented young players that could break in very quickly as well. If you’re looking for any Big 10 team that could make a splash out of nowhere in 2017, look no further than Michigan State.