Michigan State FanPulse Results: Freeeeee Fallin’

Well, FanPulse results are in following the beatdown Michigan State took at the hands of Wisconsin, and we’ve hit a new low, ladies and gentlemen. I wrote the following last week:

With another tough matchup on the road brewing in Madison this weekend, I see one of two scenarios playing out. We could very well see a complete fall off the cliff next week, or if MSU steals one in Wisconsin, then expect confidence to skyrocket. There won’t be much in between.

And after a 38-0 loss, I was correct:

Oh boy. Confidence has hit zero. This isn’t too shocking after the results of the past two games and the fact that fan confidence has been on a steady decline for the past three weeks, but I guess I was not expecting to see total zero confidence. This means even the most die-hard fans have given up hope on the 2019 Spartans.

With five games left — two against ranked opponents (Penn State and Michigan) and three against Big Ten bottom feeders (Illinois, Rutgers and Maryland), it still seems as if preseason expectations can be met. At best, a 9-3 record with wins against the Nittany Lions and Wolverines would be considered a successful season by most. At worst, this team should finish 7-5, which would be a disappointment, but not too far off. I would say an 8-4 overall record was the general consensus for this team’s record in terms of preseason predictions by fans and pundits, with a 9-3 ceiling.

Is the zero percent confidence an overreaction? Maybe. But I do get it given the on-field product we’ve seen over the past two, or arguably, three weeks. Still, this team is not really in danger of missing a bowl game or anything along those lines. Not good enough to appease fans’ expectations, but not a complete disaster.

Top-25

Anyway, let’s check in on the FanPulse nation Top-25:

Just about as expected. Alabama holds steady at No. 1, while LSU moves all the way up to No. 2 (No. 5 last week) after an impressive win over Florida. Clemson, Ohio State and Oklahoma round out the top five. Then two Big Ten teams hold the No. 6 (Wisconsin) and No. 7 (Penn State) spots. Minnesota (No. 15) and Michigan (No. 19) also represent the Big Ten — wait, the Minnesota Golden Gophers are the 15th best team in the nation? Hahahaha, no. Georgia drops to No. 9 after being upset by South Carolina. Cincinnati also moves into the top-25.

Shout out to the Appalachian State for cracking the top-25 for the first time this season. They also rank No. 24 in the AP poll, with a 5-0 record (including a win over North Carolina).

Needless to say the Spartans did not make the cut.

Heisman leaders:

Moving on to this week’s national question, who has your Heisman vote right now?

1. Joe Burrow, LSU, 35.2 percent
2. Jalen Hurts, Oklahoma, 24.4 percent
3. Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin, 21.3 percent
4. Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama, 10.9 percent
5. Justin Fields, Ohio State, 6.2 percent
6. Trevor Lawrence, Clemson, 2 percent

Interesting. While Joe Burrow and LSU are off to a great start, I would have expected both Jalen Hurts and Jonathan Taylor to be ahead of him, or at least for Burrow to not be that far ahead of the pack. Although, Hurts and Burrow are pretty close statistically. Hurts has 2,409 all-purpose yards (including a 21-yard reception) and 25 total touchdowns, while Burrow has 2,262 all-purpose yards and 27 combined touchdowns. Each player has only thrown three picks so far this season as well. Fields and Tagovailoa are off to great starts, too, while Lawrence (while still good) has seemed to take a step back this year.

The Only Colors Top-25

For the first time this season, Michigan State has completely fallen out of the top-25 voted specifically by TOC members. Go Green, am I right?

1. Alabama

2. Ohio State

3. LSU

4. Clemson

5. Wisconsin

6. Oklahoma

7. Penn State

8. Georgia

9. Auburn

10. Notre Dame

11. Florida

12. Oregon

13. Texas

14. Utah

15. Boise State

16. Missouri

17. Minnesota

18. Michigan

19. SMU

20. Arizona State

21. Cincinnati

22. Baylor

23. Iowa

24. Washington

25. Wake Forest