11/8/2019 football Edit

Pre-Snap Read: What is Vegas thinking?

Jim Comparoni • Spartans Illustrated

Publisher

Comparoni has covered Michigan State football and basketball since 1988, began work at SPARTAN Magazine in 1993, created SpartanMag.com in 1998, became owner/publisher in 2002.

EAST LANSING - The Michigan State that scored 31 points against a solid Northwestern defense, the Michigan State that scored 40 points (with help from a defensive touchdown against Indiana), the Michigan State that held Arizona State in check for 58 minutes - that team can beat Illinois 27-13 if it makes field goals and stiffens in the red zone. But I’m not sure if that Michigan State team exists anymore.

We haven’t seen Michigan State win a game since Sept. 28. Illinois has won three straight, including the biggest upset of the college football season thus far, against Wisconsin.

So I’ll cut right to the pit boss in the room - what is/was Las Vegas seeing in establishing Michigan State as a 12- to 14-point favorite in this game? I’ve never led with a betting line angle in the 20-plus years of the Pre Snap Read, but that line had a lot of people scratching their heads, because Vegas usually turns out to be accurate on a “funny line” such as this.

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