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End Zone: UM Wolverines

MSU's 7-1 record still begs the question: Who have the Spartans stopped?

10/31/2013

Are you wondering why it took 7-1 Michigan State this long to crack the Associated Press top 25 poll?

Really?

Michigan State simply is not a balanced team. The Spartans need to score touchdowns as much as they need to stop them from being scored, and MSU has been pretty good at doing that thus far this season.

Michigan State's offense is finally catching up with its defense. Defense is what's cut it for the Spartans thus far, and will be the prime factor on Saturday when they host Michigan.

MSU's 7-1 record still begs the question: Who have the Spartans stopped?

An FCS opponent, 1-win Purdue, 2-wins South Florida, 3-wins Illinois … and the defense-first Spartans mustered an uncharacteristically high offensive output of 473 yards to beat Indiana, an earth-shattering feat, considering that MSU is ninth in the Big Ten in scoring and 10th in total offense.

Some argue Michigan doesn't deserve to be in the polls, despite its 6-1 record. Give that a few days before you change your mind. Some argue MSU and the nation's top-ranked defense deserves to be in the polls.

Saturday's game in East Lansing will show us who belongs in the polls.

Contact Rachel Lenzi at: rlenzi@theblade.com, 419-724-6510, or on Twitter @RLenziBlade.