After earning a 16-10 win in its opening game of the 2024 season last week against Florida Atlantic, Michigan State will hit the road for a Big Ten game against Maryland in Week Two. The game opens conference play for both teams.

The Spartans are nearly 10-point underdogs going into the weekend. The two teams will battle at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time on Big Ten Network.

Our Spartans Illustrated team breaks down the matchup and gives their predictions for the game.

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Going on the road turns out to be a good thing for the Spartans as they are tightly focused on Maryland. The penalties are tightened up, Aidan Chiles is loosened up, and the defense continues its promising start to the season. A Jonathan Kim field goal as time expires gives MSU the victory.

I quite frankly have no idea what to expect from this game on Saturday. Maryland is coming off of a 50-7 trouncing over a bad UConn team, while Michigan State left a lot to be desired in a 16-10 win over Florida Atlantic.

MSU has already been hit by the injury bug, particularly in the secondary, and Maryland quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. looked solid against the Huskies. Michigan State's defense played very well against the Owls, but Edwards can throw the ball much better than Cam Fancher did last week, and the Terrapins will be much more of a challenge. Still, I expect the MSU defense to keep the Spartans in it — I think the defensive line can take advantage of Maryland brand-new offensive line. The offense has to play much better than it did in Week One for the Spartans to have a chance in this one, though— and I think we'll see improvements, but I am not sure how drastic. The penalties and turnovers from last week also need to be cleaned up

I still see this game as a complete tossup, but given the offensive struggles I saw from Michigan State against an FAU team nowhere near as talented as Maryland, I give the Terps the slight edge, playing at home, right now.

The old football adage states that teams make the most improvement between the first and second weeks of the season. From this point of view, I would love to say that I foresee the Spartan offense suddenly looking potent and moving the ball on the Terrapins. Unfortunately, my head (and my computer) do not see that happening.

After last week, I am forced to revert to "I will believe it when I see it" when it comes to the Michigan State this year. While the defense certainly looks ahead of schedule, the combination of last week's struggles on offense, the injuries to key players, Maryland's better than expected showing in Week One, and the general fact that the Terrapins always seem to play well in September simply make the climb this week too steep for the Green and White.

I think the game will be close for much of the game, but as three-and-outs mount on the offensive end and the defense tires, Maryland extends the lead late to win by double digits in a low scoring game.

The Spartans will have worked hard to clean up plenty of mistakes all week, but a week is not a long time and the competition is much, much tougher this week. While the offense moves the ball better than last week, it still has some issues to sort out and has to rely on special teams to finish several drives for most of the points, while the defense does an admirable job holding a tough Terrapin offense to almost half its point total of Week One.

The key for Michigan State in this game has to be getting quarterback Aidan Chiles going. Maryland had some struggles in the secondary in Week One against UConn. If Chiles and the Spartans can expose that, they will be able to put up some points. Another key here is red zone efficiency. Both teams weren’t great last week when the field was shortened.

Michigan State’s defense is going to need to show up. Maryland quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. will be a tremendous challenge for the MSU secondary. He’s got a strong arm and can use his legs to extend plays. Maryland’s wide receivers can create some explosive plays for the Terrapins if the Spartans struggle to tackle.

I like Maryland in this game especially because of its passing game. Michigan State’s pass defense is still a question mark considering the FAU offense did not push the ball downfield last week. Maryland will have success moving the ball in between the 20s, but Michigan State will force them to settle for field goals. However, Chiles will have some missed throws down the field which will stall some drives. The Terrapins will win this game at home.

Michigan State didn't impress me much last week, and Maryland has proven to be a good early season team over the years. I think MSU struggles to run the ball, and Maryland finds some holes in the MSU defense. The turnover bug will hurt the Spartans as well, giving Maryland some easy scoring opportunities.

I expect Michigan State’s offense to operate more smoothly after a mistake-laden opener. That said, Maryland’s defense is expected to be a strong unit this season and likely will be too difficult to overcome on the road. Chances are probable the Terrapin offense’s effectiveness was exaggerated by the level of competition in Week One against UConn, which gives reason to believe the Spartan defense can keep this game in play for an upset if the offense was to take a significant improvement.

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