MSU Red Cedar Message Board

Boise will have a good team next year. They have depth and talent. They will win a lot of games. MSU better be ready.

Having said that, I think the Spartan faithful have been looking forward to this game since it was announced. I expect a Wisconsin 2011 atmosphere in the stadium. We will be celebrating 2 eleven win seasons and entering a season with high expectations. This team maybe better than those if Maxwell performs and Coach D keeps them grounded.

But more importantly where Boise is going to have multiple groups getting their act together, albeit with talent, MSU is solid in their core, lines~linebackers~DB's. Questions at WR, absolutely. QB overly experienced, no. But a defense that is going to feed on the crowd. A defense that is going to be....

I like Boise. I put Chris Peterson right there with Coach D, but we have the horses, experience and home field. MSU 42 Boise 17.

No disrespect and I may not want to have a rematch in a bowl game. Boise will be a top 20 team at the end of the season, but early, at home, if we are as hungry as I think we will be....Victory for MSU.

BSUFan9999, your team kicks butt often, just don't see it happening in EL. Thanks for playing

I had thought that too...but read the OL link on page 1. They have talent there. They have major talent at WR. They have real talent at QB.

But after that....no DL, bad LBs...

I remember Gholston looking over at the Ohio State sidelines - at Ohio State - flexing his arms and pecs while lining up - and laughing at them - taunting Ohio State. He ran them right over. I think we'll be OK.

FYI: Gholston is the gigantic super fast guy who keeps trying to pile drive your QB into the center of the Earth.

Doug Martin who is expected to be the 2nd RB taken in the draft after Trent Richardson couldn't beat DJ Harper for snaps for the 1st half of his career. Martin had been moved to linebacker to get him on the field. After 2 ACL tears by Harper, Martin returned to the offense and the rest is history.

Harper is an outstanding back who has made big plays consistently while sharing the role.

While the current back-ups are no names, we will a redshirt freshman and 2 new recruits - all from Texas - available to us. Oregon tried to steal both our new RB recruits (Fields and Demas) before signing day. That should give you a sense of their talent given the talent they have showcased in their backfield the last few years.

We will be just fine at RB.

We have no worries at TE or RB.

Miller is a stud who turned down SEC offers to stay close to home.

All this is well and they may be a tough opponent but we really know that they are no Appy. State, just sayin.

Most teams have questions coming into the season. From the BSU point of view, our biggest questions are:

* Which QB will reload for BSU and how much of a drop off will there be?
* Can we find some consistency at the placekicking position?
* Who will be the next generation at the safety positions?
* How much of a drop-off will we have in the defensive line after losing the starting Dline to the NFL?

Otherwise, BSU fans feel pretty good. Our depth has been increasing. On paper, our recruits of the last several years are on an uptick and have never been better.

East Lansing. Night game. The atmosphere will be crazy.

Usually Boise State plays these games in neutral environments -- granted the "neutral" environments are closer to their opponents, but being on campus with a rowdy environment like at MSU makes this a very different game.

I think the whole "Expect alot of trickeration from MD" would probably be the case if we were playing Boise anything BUT the first game of the season. As is I would imagine he would probably like to see us move the ball well and consistently without having to do that.

But obviously if it's a very tight game in the second half I could see him pulling out all the stops.

On-campus will be a different animal. Playing the games in pro venues, while hostile, just never reach the level it can at a campus like MSU's. The fans are going to be insane. Sure, BSU played at Oregon but that atmosphere won't be like the one at MSU.

I respect Boise State fine. They have done some impressive things over the past decade. But a night game at MSU is just a special thing.

I do realize it. Actually, I have watched the evolution... from getting shellacked in Georgia in 2005... to the subsequent 73 wins and 6 losses.

We have heard the various fan bases in prior years talk about how our players were too small, too slow, not talented enough with too few stars and the impossibility that BSU could win. After BSU beat Oregon the second time, some of their fans still thought they would win 9 of 10. We thought that was humorous.

Actually, this year and last year BSU has received a ton of respect from knowledgeable fans including a bunch on this board. It was very interesting to watch Georgia fans actually consider themselves the underdog last year with a team that would end up making the SEC Conference Championship Game.

And I realize there are some who are less knowledgeable and some who are just provincial who will never acknowledge the progress that BSU has made. (BSU joined Division I in 1996 and has won more games than any other Division I program since.)

I guess I just enjoy watching the realization of a fan base they will likely have a game on their hands.

We have more questions this year than the last few with the loss of some great players, but the cupboard is not bare. We have heard great things about some of the underclassman who hadn't yet broken through.

MSU should be the favorite, but BSU will come to play and I expect we will have an entertaining game to which we can look forward.