After a blowout loss to Washington last week, Michigan State will look to rebound in its Big Ten opener against Maryland on Saturday. The Terrapins are 3-0 and enter the contest as a touchdown favorite.

Saturday offers a bounce-back opportunity for Michigan State, and our Spartans Illustrated team breaks down the matchup.

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In a game that will likely define the Spartans' trajectory for the rest of the season, MSU comes out strong in front of a supportive Spartan Stadium crowd. Everything clicks early on, from offense to defense to special teams.

Maryland falls behind by multiple scores early but comes roaring back late. MSU shows it isn't going to fold under pressure and a field goal with no time on the clock wins it for the Spartans.

Michigan State bounces back in a big way against an opponent it is much better suited to play. The players come out with a new sense of energy and focus, and they are more prepared this time around after a turbulent two weeks.

Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa is going to cause problems for the Spartans, but the MSU offense rebounds this week and is able to keep pace in a back-and-forth game before taking a late lead in the fourth quarter. Michigan State gets a big win in front of the homecoming crowd to begin Big Ten play at 1-0.

It may sound crazy based on what we all say last week, but I think the Spartans win this game and -- more importantly -- so does my computer. Yes, Michigan State was completely outclassed by Washington, but Maryland has not played anyone significantly better than Central Michigan.

My computer has both teams ranked similarly, and Michigan State will have the advantage of the homecoming crowd. I think the Green and White circle the wagons, come out strong, build a 14-point lead by halftime, and hang on in the second half to get the much-needed win.

As much as I hated typing that score out, I don't see a MSU win here based on what we saw last week. I get Washington is an incredible team, but no team is so incredible where it should hang up 700-plus yards (could have easily been over 1,000 if the Huskies really tried).

The offense isn't any better as Nathan Carter is getting no help from the offensive line, and the passing game looked like that last week against a secondary missing three players. I'll have close to no optimism in me until further notice, apologies in advance.

After what we saw happen last week, I don't know how you could have confidence in MSU's defense or offense to pull out a win in this game. Maryland is averaging nearly 40 points per game, and it isn't a team you want to get in a shootout with.

The game is tight for a quarter, but Maryland's offense finds its groove and pulls away from the Spartans to pick up a conference win.

Maryland’s talented and its offense will prove difficult to contain while the Spartans will continue to struggle running the ball. This will lead to MSU being off schedule too often and leaning into the passing game will not prove fruitful for the Spartans.

This is another mismatch for the Michigan State defense against a solid Maryland passing attack. Taulia Tagovailoa will have a good day throwing the football and Maryland’s defense is good enough to hold the Spartans to under 20 points. I don’t expect a blowout, but Maryland will win this game by double digits.

I think Michigan State plays somewhat uninspired this week, much like last week. I think Spartan Stadium will at most be 75% full, even on homecoming, and that has to hurt. There are a lot of moving parts right now, and it’s hard to imagine what the coaches and players are feeling. I like this matchup better than Washington, but don’t feel confident in the Spartans this week.

One important note is that Maryland has been scoring a lot of points in the fourth quarter, scoring 21 points vs Charlotte (trailed 14-9 at half) and 21 points vs Virginia (tied 14-14 at half). I do like MSU to score a few touchdowns this week, and it would be a positive sign to see the Spartans put together a few nice drives. I think Taulia Tagovailoa will be too overwhelming, much like Michael Penix was.

Katin Houser starts and takes a while to get comfortable. Maryland, prone to slow starts, also takes a while to get going but pulls away in the 3rd quarter.

The Terrapins sound scary, especially coming off the drubbing the Spartans received just a week ago as the Huskies' chew toy, but much like their home waters of the Chesapeake, the Terps will be all washed out in Spartan Stadium.

MSU once again takes a quarter to get things rolling on offense, but the defense does just enough to keep it close throughout and give the other side of the ball the time needed to ice the victory late in the fourth.

Bonus prediction: This writer will be trash-talking co-workers in the office next week who will not care and wonder why he is interrupting their discussions about the Baltimore Ravens.

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