Michigan State will open its 2023 season with an in-state foe, as Central Michigan travels to Spartan Stadium on Friday night (7 p.m. Eastern Time, FS1). The Spartans are 8-3 all-time versus the Chippewas, with the last meeting coming back in 2018.

Our Spartans Illustrated team breaks down the action and details what to expect in the 2023 home opener for MSU.

Spartans Illustrated content review

-Michigan State reveals traditional look for Week One vs. CMU
-Michigan State OL Stanton Ramil suffers knee injury, undergoes surgery
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-3-2-1 Preview: 3 things we want to see, 2 key stats, 1 best bet
-Michigan State Football Positional Preview: Special teams
-Red Cedar Radar: Central Michigan versus Michigan State preview
-Dr. Green and White Analysis: Full Season Bad Betting Advice
-Michigan State Football: Spartans on 2023 NFL 53-man rosters
-Locked On Spartans: Talking CMU vs. MSU, coordinators, Alante Brown
-MSU wide receivers coach Courtney Hawkins is 'excited' about his group
-Director of Player Engagement Richardson describes vision, journey
-CMU head coach Jim McElwain excited for opportunity to play at MSU
-Michigan State's Mel Tucker previews Central Michigan

Michigan State comes out of the gates swinging and gets up early. A late Chippewa score makes it seem closer than it was. In the battle of my two alma maters, my undergraduate school beats my graduate school handily and the Spartan Stadium crowd goes home happy.

It would not be surprising to see Michigan State start slow in this game, as is often the case in season openers. We still don't know who will be starting at quarterback for MSU (or for Central Michigan), and whether it is Noah Kim or Katin Houser for the Spartans, I expect it to take a quarter or two before they find their rhythm. I think this will be closer than expected at halftime, perhaps with Michigan State owning a 10-point lead or so.

The Spartans use Nathan Carter and the running game to wear the Chippewas down in the second half, the quarterback starts to get more comfortable, the defensive front dominates and ultimately MSU's talent advantage shines through. Michigan State breaks away in the early fourth quarter and leads by around 18 to 20 points by the time the clock hits all zeros. Yes, I am expecting MSU to make a field goal in this game.

This game will likely be tight in the first half, as the new players at the skill positions gain their footing. But the Spartans will find a groove in the third quarter and slowly pull away. The offense will put up points, but the secondary will give up a few big plays, leaving Spartans fans unsure if this team is any better or not than in 2022.

Michigan State shakes off the usual first game jitters by the second quarter and notches the win. Central Michigan gets a score in late to go with a first half field goal to annoy the Spartan faithful.

Michigan State comes out and aggressively tries to assert some dominance in the run game. Nathan Carter has a pair of touchdowns in the first half, and the Spartans are up three scores at the half. Things slow down a bit in the second half and CMU scores a couple touchdowns late in the game to make the score look closer than it was.

I think it'll be a low-scoring affair that has Spartan fans walking out feeling "meh, not bad" about the quarterback situation but also "ehh, pretty good!" about the run game.

It may sound silly, but CMU actually has a decent defense with soon-to-be NFL player Donte Kent at cornerback and a defensive front that returns pretty much everyone from last year, so that could make things a little underwhelming for Michigan State fans. A late Central Michigan touchdown makes the game seem a tad closer than it actually was, but MSU gets out with an opening night win.

The Spartans will win this game with solid play by the offensive line and defensive line. There will be a couple Central Michigan turnovers that will lead to some points for Michigan State. Overall, the run game should carry the offense to a decent first game of the year and the defense will force a few turnovers to seal the win.

I expect this to be a disjointed and anything but smooth game with both teams playing multiple quarterbacks to find their best options. My guess is both defenses will be ahead of offenses in their progressions. That said, the Spartans should enjoy a win by two to three scores in Friday night’s opener.

Close for one-and-a-half quarters. Michigan State’s defensive line forces a pair of turnovers and MSU cruises in the second half.

Central Michigan has a rushing attack that may raise some eyebrows. However, the Chippewas' passing game still has some question marks. MSU holds CMU to only a couple of touchdowns and recovers a couple of fumbles. The Spartans will need to hold on to the ball, but I’m confident that they will. Noah Kim trots out for the first series and has a solid start.

I think this will be a game where both offenses will be trying to figure out ways to move the ball against defenses that may have the upper hand in this one. Both CMU (Daniel Richardson) and MSU (Payton Thorne) had last year’s starters at quarterback transfer to other programs, so both teams will have to break in new starting QBs, which is always a challenge in game one.

Over time, Michigan State has more playmakers on the offensive side of the ball to pull away in this game, as running backs Jalen Berger and Nathan Carter will have to carry the load in the running game while the passing games gets sorted. If the Spartans do find success in the air, the likes of Tre Mosley and the MSU tight end group should be able to make plays throughout. I see MSU’s offense being able to establish some sort of a rhythm after a couple of series, while it’s going to be very difficult for CMU to find the playmakers to move the ball constantly on the Spartans.

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