Michigan State football picks vs Oregon: Can Spartans upset Big ...

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Michigan State University's Spartan Marching Band takes the field

Michigan State University's Spartan Marching Band takes the field before a game against The Ohio State University at Spartan Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024.

Michigan State football heads out West for its introduction to one of the Big Ten newcomers, Oregon, in a Friday night game (9 p.m., Fox) that's also a throwback to when the Spartans annually challenged the might of the Pac-12 in its pursuit of national glory.

It's also a throwback for MSU head coach Jonathan Smith, in his first year in East Lansing after running his alma mater — and Oregon rival — Oregon State for six seasons.

Smith and the Beavers went 2-4 against the Ducks during his time as head coach; will he be able to repeat that success Friday night? Five Free Press sports writers have some thoughts:

SCOUTING THE GAME: Ducks ready to fly together vs. Spartans

Rainer Sabin

For a prolonged stretch last week against Ohio State, the Spartans showed they could hang with a top-ten team, repeatedly moving the ball into the red zone. But they also demonstrated that they have had trouble finishing, blowing three golden opportunities to put points on the board.

The Spartans were often their own worst enemy in the first month of the season, turning the ball over 13 times — tied for the third-highest total in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Now they have to go play at Autzen Stadium, one of the most raucous environments in college football. It doesn’t bode well for Aidan Chiles and MSU’s offense, who haven’t played crisp enough to suggest that they will be able to block out the noise and play at the optimal level they need to upset the No. 6 Ducks. The pick: Oregon 38, MSU 13.

Jeff Seidel

One of these days, Aidan Chiles is going to play mistake-free football. He’s going to make huge plays and play clean football. The game will slow down and he will lead this team to some amazing wins. But not on this day. Not against a team like Oregon State. Not yet. The pick: Oregon 34, MSU 14.

Chris Solari

Smith has the Spartans revved up early, with Chiles delivering early scores and the defense keeping the Ducks from making big plays down the field. But in the second half, Gabriel and Co. make adjustments that get the ball moving, and Oregon’s defense — with a big game from Harmon — wear down the depleted MSU offensive line to send the Spartans to a third straight loss. The pick: Oregon 31, MSU 17.

Shawn Windsor

Once again, the Spartans will compete. They will show flashes, maybe even more than flashes, especially Aidan Chiles. These games are still a touch out of reach until they show otherwise. A blowout would be surprising early, even if the final score fools, as it did against Ohio State. Let’s see if MSU learned anything from that performance, and finds a way not to hurt itself so often. The pick: Oregon 30, MSU 23.

Carlos Monarrez

The Spartans are massive underdogs, with their only hope being that the No. 6 Ducks get caught looking ahead to next week’s game against Ohio State and that Aidan Chiles plays the game of his life. Oregon has offensive line issues, but that didn’t stop quarterback Dillon Gabriel, a sixth-year Oklahoma transfer, and the Ducks from scoring a combined 83 points on the road in their past two games against Oregon State and UCLA. The pick: Oregon 39, MSU 16