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Following a bye week, there was really nowhere else for Michigan State Spartans fans’ confidence to go other than up. Last week, confidence hit an all-time low of zero following back-to-back blowout losses for MSU.
So, how are we feeling this week, Spartan Nation?
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Heading into the Penn State game, the confidence number rises slightly, but still remains pathetically low. Fan confidence currently sits just below 17 percent (16.7 percent, to be exact). Struggles on the field, a somewhat alarming number of players transferring, a tough Big Ten schedule and coaching issues are all reasons contributing to this.
A win this week could do wonders in terms of fan confidence. Penn State is undefeated at 7-0 and ranks No. 6 nationally. The Nittany Lions come into this game as near touchdown favorites, despite playing on the road. Expectations are pretty low for MSU this weekend, so a loss isn’t going to cause a dramatic dip in the data.
The Spartans, however, have had some recent success playing against the Nittany Lions, even as underdogs. A home game after a bye week against an opponent Dantonio has dominated (6-3 in his career) sounds like a possible recipe for an upset. We’ll find out soon.
FanPulse National Top-25:
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Alabama remains in the No. 1 spot, and the rest of the top-5 stays the same as last week. Wisconsin, following its upset loss to Illinois, fell six spots to No. 12. Meanwhile Penn State moves up one spot to No. 6 after after defeating Michigan, while the Wolverines barely stay in the top-25, getting the last spot. Minnesota (No. 14) is the only other Big Ten team to rank this week. San Diego State made the list for (I believe) the first time this season, checking in at No. 24.
National Question of the Week: Which game are you most excited for in Week 9?
Editor’s Note: I do not have a pretty graphic this week, but I can tell you the results.
- Auburn at LSU — 38.9 percent
- Wisconsin at Ohio State — 34 percent
- Notre Dame at Michigan — 13.7 percent
- Washington State at Oregon — 4.5 percent
- Penn State at Michigan State — 3.5 percent
The Only Colors Top-25:
Pretty spot on with the national poll, but we have Ohio State at No. 1, Alabama at No. 2 and LSU No. 3. Just a couple of subtle differences other than that.
1. Ohio State
2. Alabama
3. LSU
4. Clemson
5. Oklahoma
6. Penn State
7. Auburn
8. Georgia
9. Notre Dame
10. Florida
11. Oregon
12. Wisconsin
13. SMU
14. Texas
15. Minnesota
16. Utah
17. Cincinnati
18. Baylor
19. Appalachian State
20. Wake Forest
21. Arizona State
22. Boise State
23. Virginia
24. San Diego State
25. Michigan
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