With college football season on the horizon, ESPN Chalk's college football experts -- Phil Steele, "Stanford Steve" Coughlin and Chris Fallica -- combine to give you betting previews of the top 25 teams, according to the ESPN College Football Rankings. They break down each team's strengths and weaknesses, along with season win total bets and national title odds.
Odds from Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook as of Aug. 15.
Michigan State Spartans
National title odds: 40-1
Season win total: 8
FPI win total projection: 7.4
Phil Steele
Strengths: Defense. I rate the Spartans' defense No. 8 in the country, and they have my No. 17-rated defensive line, No. 3 linebackers and No. 26 defensive backs. I think running back LJ Scott and true freshman wide receiver Donnie Corley will contend for All-Big Ten honors this year.
Weaknesses: The Spartans were just No. 113 in my special teams rankings in 2015 and have work to do with that unit. They are the second-least experienced team in the Big Ten and lost quarterback Connor Cook and their top two receivers.
Over/under: I like the over here. The Spartans have that chip firmly on their shoulders this year. Everyone is picking them third in the East behind Ohio State and Michigan, including myself. They played their best last year as the lower-ranked team or the underdog, except for their playoff game.
National title odds: I do not think there is very much separating Ohio State, Michigan, and Michigan State's chances of winning the East. Spartans head coach Mark Dantonio will field one of the best defenses of his tenure, and they get Ohio State (8-1) and Michigan (7-1) at home. They made the playoffs last year and played a good first half versus Alabama, but the tide turned when they were intercepted in the end zone late in the first half. I would have odds more in the 20-1 range.
"Stanford Steve" Coughlin
O/U: Is there a head coach in college football whom you would trust more than Mark Dantonio to lead a program that has to replace its all-time wins leader at QB? Without his starting QB, Dantonio's Spartans traveled to Columbus and defeated the defending national champions, Ohio State. What else can you ask for?
My only issue with Michigan State is that, in addition to replacing Connor Cook, they have to find replacements for big-time players such as All-American linemen Jack Conklin and Jack Allen plus star wide receiver Aaron Burbridge. The one positive is that coach "Dino" says the guys that will fill out the offensive line have plenty of experience; the Spartans used seven combinations on the O-line last year.
We'll find out plenty about Sparty during a stretch of games early in the season, which includes a trip to South Bend along with home games against Wisconsin and BYU. I always have trust in the Spartans, plus they get conference heavyweights Michigan and Ohio State at home. I'm taking the over.
Chris Fallica
O/U: Hard to believe a team that has won fewer than 10 regular-season games just once in the past six years has a season win total of eight. But I guess it makes some sense, considering the loss of Connor Cook and the Spartans' top two wide receivers from last year. Also, last year's team, which reached the playoffs, was probably the worst of the last three MSU teams. But look at the schedule. Yes, there is a road game at Notre Dame, but Michigan, Ohio State and Wisconsin all visit East Lansing. If 8-4 is a push, then I'd certainly be willing to play the over. Even if MSU loses to Notre Dame, Michigan and Ohio State, the Spartans would have to lose two more in order for you to lose. So that would mean losing to Wisconsin and at Penn State? At Indiana? I'd play the over, knowing that 8-4 is probably the worst-case scenario. This program is too good to throw in a total clunker of a season.
CFB Playoff odds: Going over eight wins and playing MSU to win the national title are two different things. While I think 10-2 or 9-3 is probably where MSU will land, I can't see two wins in the CFP, if they were to get that far.