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FanPulse results are in for both basketball and football! Let’s start with the good news. For the third consecutive week, confidence for Michigan State Spartans basketball fans is at a full 100 percent — we’re three for three so far this season!
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Following a win over Charleston Southern on Monday night, MSU is off to a 3-1 start. The team heads to Hawaii next week for a tilt against a 4-0 Virginia Tech squad. This is part of the Maui Invitational, which also features Kanas, UCLA, Georgia, Chaminade, Dayton and BYU. If the Spartans defeat the Hookies, MSU will face the winner between Dayton and Georgia in the next round. There will be a championship round after that.
At least we have basketball.
Same story, different week. To say Spartan football has been disappointing this season would be the understatement of the decade.
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Somehow, 4.6 percent of us still have confidence in the direction of the program. This is the lowest it has been since it was at zero after playing Wisconsin.
The silver lining, I guess, is that the two remaining games — against Rutgers and Maryland — are both very winnable. MSU needs to win both to make a bowl game. The only time Mark Dantonio has missed a bowl game during his tenure was that dreaded 2016 season. Granted, we’re looking at something like the Quick Lane (at least it will be local) or the Pinstripe Bowl as the best bests. Yay.
With that said, if the Spartans have you down right now, please read this.
National Top-25
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LSU holds steady at No. 1, and the only difference between this week and last week’s top-five is that Georgia (No. 4) and Alabama (No. 5) flip-flopped following Tua Tagovailoa’s season-ending hip injury. Oklahoma moves up to No. 6 after its big comeback win against Baylor, while Baylor slides out of the top-10 to No. 11. Utah moves all the way up to No. 7, while Oregon, Penn State and Florida make up this week’s top-10. Memphis also moves up to No. 12.
Minnesota falls to No. 13 after being upset by Iowa, which catapulted the Hawkeyes back into the top-25 at No. 22. Michigan didn’t move up at all after demolishing Michigan State, staying put at No. 19. Wisconsin checks in at No. 17, giving the Big Ten six total teams. Air Force and Oklahoma State also made it in this week.
National Question of the Week: Which of the following teams is most likely to make the College Football Playoff?
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It was a close call between Georgia and Oregon, but the Bulldogs (30.4 percent) narrowly get the edge over the Ducks (29.7 percent). Oklahoma received 17.5 percent, while Alabama pulled in 15.5 percent of the votes, and Utah is on the outside looking at 6.9 percent. With that said, the Utes have had a very impressive season so far at 9-1.
The Only Colors Top-25:
Of note, this is the first time TOC voters placed LSU in the No. 1 spot, ahead of Ohio State.
1. LSU
2. Ohio State
3. Clemson
4. Georgia
5. Alabama
6. Oklahoma
7. Penn State
8. Oregon
9. Florida
10. Utah
11. Baylor
12. Minnesota
13. Memphis
14. Auburn
15. Cincinnati
16. Wisconsin
17. Notre Dame
18. Michigan
19. SMU
20. Boise State
21. App State
22. Iowa
23. Air Force
24. Virginia Tech
25. Oklahoma State