Even through camp, Nichol has continued to be noted as having the superior athletic ability in comparison to Cousins. Cousins has great leadership skills, and that’s something I’ve been tremendously impressed with. But MSU will need to put out the guy that gives us the best chance to win, and I think that will come down to Nichol.

But same as JasonCKent, I’ll support the decision either way. Go State!

I prefer Nichol start (I remember hating him when he went to Oklahoma because of JL Smith getting canned), but I think Cousins will get the starting gig.

Rexrode thinks it will be Nichol.

He’s the superior athlete (though Cousins is supposed to be quicker on his feet than, say, Brian Hoyer) and if he’s hung with Cousins this long, he’s obviously close in the most important aspect, decision making.

Mostly, I vote doesn’t matter who starts against M(t)SU. They’ll have the nonconference season to both get time and shake this out on the field with who plays better. If they’re still tied, I think Nichol’s better running ability will break the tie.

I agree with Zeke, Cousins has played and did pretty well against Ohio State. However, at some point, Nichol’s talent should be better suited to our somewhat inexperienced O-line. He reminds me of Stanton, regarding his ability to achieve a positive result from a botched play.