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Published Nov 22, 2024
Spartans Illustrated Staff Picks: Purdue vs. Michigan State
Zachary Manning  •  Spartans Illustrated
Staff Writer

Losers of six of its last seven games, Michigan State has a chance to get back in the win column on Friday night against a reeling 1-9 Purdue team on Friday night (8 p.m. Eastern Time on FOX).

The Spartans are nearly two-touchdown favorites and need two more wins for bowl eligibility. Purdue has lost nine-straight games and sits at 0-7 in Big Ten play.

Our Spartans Illustrated team breaks down the matchup and gives predictions for Michigan's State's penultimate game of the regular season.

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David Harns

Michigan State 26, Purdue 15  

Michigan State wants to take out its frustrations on an underwhelming Purdue team and is able to do so, to a certain extent. The game is too close through three quarters, but the Spartans put some space between them in the fourth, finally.

Ryan O'Bleness

Michigan State 31, Purdue 14  

Simply put, Purdue is not a good football team in 2024. Michigan State is also struggling and is dealing with many injuries, but has an opportunity to get a win at home against a Purdue team on a nine-game losing streak.

This is not a chance the Spartans can squander, and I see them coming into the game focused and ready to take care of business. Step one of securing a bowl game appearance is getting a victory on Friday night, and that is exactly what I expect to happen. I believe the Spartans will cruise to a win in this one.

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Paul Fanson

Michigan State 24, Purdue 14

There are plenty of reasons to believe that Michigan State will get a big, feel-good win over the struggling Boilermakers under the lights on Friday night. My computer is projecting a 17-point win for the Green and White, which certainly would feel good to Spartan fans. But there are also a lot of things about this matchup that are concerning. Purdue has played a brutal schedule overall, but it has been competitive with the other Big Ten teams in the Spartans' peer group (notably Illinois and Northwestern).

The Boilermakers also have a tendency of playing Michigan State closer than expected (5-1 against the spread since 2010), and the Spartans' most recent outing was lackluster, at best. I still expect that MSU will get the win be double-digits (barely), but I suspect that this game is going to look a lot more like the painful slog that we witnessed in Week One against Florida Atlantic.

Kevin Knight

Michigan State 38, Purdue 14  

The Spartans inch one step closer to bowl eligibility with a solid performance against the Boilermakers. Purdue is simply overmatched in this one and the few MSU fans in attendance leave the stadium cold and happy.

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Brendan Moore

Michigan State 23, Purdue 17  

Both of these teams are stumbling over the finishing line of the regular season. Purdue has lost nine-straight games. Michigan State has lost six of its last seven games and has suffered numerous injuries to key players.

It will be a low-scoring game with some sloppy football all around. The Spartans will pull this out thanks to a solid game by quarterback Aidan Chiles. Purdue has one of the worst pass defenses in the country and the Spartans will exploit that weakness on a cold November night in East Lansing.

Zach Manning

Michigan State 37, Purdue 17

Purdue is not good, and Michigan State needs a win to keep itself in contention for bowl eligibility. The offense gets going early, and the defense plays well enough to secure a 20-point win.

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Jay Yaney

Michigan State 28, Purdue 17  

The Spartans know what's at stake. A win leaves them in bowl contention. A loss means a guaranteed sub-.500 season. Luckily, Purdue is reeling this year, and their fans are focusing on Boiler Hoops.

Jacob Cotsonika  

Michigan State 30, Purdue 14  

This one isn't exactly going to break television records. Purdue is probably the worst power conference team in the country, and I think Michigan State will treat the Boilermakers as such.

I don't expect total dominance, simply because MSU's red zone offense hasn't proven that's entirely possible to me, but I think the offense will move the ball plenty and the defense will do more than enough to hand Purdue a 10th loss and set up the Spartans' shot at bowl eligibility against Rutgers.

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