College Football Top 25 projections after 2018 spring practices
By Zach Bigalke
The spring revealed a Michigan State team with some holes that will likely have them trending slightly downward in the preseason AP Top 25. The Spartans emerged from bowl season looking like a potential top-10 team to enter the 2018 season. After their spring game, though, the Spartans will probably slot in somewhere in the pre-teens or low teens.
Brian Lewerke was inconsistent at quarterback, though he did hit Darrell Stewart with a great 30-yard back-shoulder touchdown throw. LJ Scott and Connor Heyward provide a strong 1-2 punch in the running game. But the backfield is dangerously short on depth entering the new campaign. An injury to either of the top two players on the depth chart would push freshman into major roles.
Mark Dantonio did an admirable job getting a young team to contend in the Big Ten East last year. A more experienced group will probably show up somewhere between No. 10 and No. 13 in the first preseason release of the AP Top 25. One of the most experienced teams in the country will be a dark-horse threat in the Big Ten once again this year.