Not Supposed to Count Your Chickens . . . But Let's do so Anyway

Against all sane advice, let's map out the most optimistic scenario for the Spartans' 2011 season: 

Sept. 2 Youngstown State--Probability of victory is high, but of course, there are no guarantees.
Sept. 10 Florida Atlantic--Probability of victory is high.
Sept. 17 at Notre Dame--If this was last year's Notre Dame team, I would say MSU should easily win this one.  But this year's Notre Dame is in its second year under Brian Kelly, and that makes me a little nervous about this one.  I have a horrible feeling that this is the year Brian Kelly gets ND close to contending for a BCS bowl.  At any rate, let me take a stab at a prediction.  In the end, I think MSU, in Mark Dantonio's 5th year, is still slightly ahead of ND in its development and should be able to pull out a tough victory in South Bend.
Sept. 24 Central Michigan--Probability of victory is high, but this is a rivalry so there is some danger.
Oct. 1 at Ohio State--OSU is infamously down 5 players and its head coach, so that should give MSU a good opportunity to steal one in Columbus.  Though OSU is weakened, it won't be easy--I repeat, it won't be easy.  In fact, OSU may be more focused than it otherwise would be.  Still, MSU has the talent to pull off another tough win.
Oct. 15 Michigan--UM will be better this year than it was last year, but MSU if farther along in its development.  The probabilities are with the Spartans on this one. 
Oct. 22 Wisconsin--UW struggles against MSU when the they play in East Lansing.  Moreover, UW lost more key players than MSU.  I anticipate another great battle, but one in which MSU should prevail.
Oct. 29 at Nebraska--There is no doubt that UN has a tough defense.  But for several years now it has not been able to solve its problems on offense.  This should turn out to be a defensive battle, and I'm hoping MSU's explosive offense can generate a few big plays that allow them to pull this one out.  This is a toss up for me that depends on how good Taylor Martinez is playing, or how healthy he is.  I will go out on a limb and predict that Martinez is not  healthy at this point (mainly because he runs so often), and for this reason alone MSU pulls out another tough one.
Nov. 5 Minnesota--MSU really should win this one, but they may be at risk here because they may view this game as an opportunity to relax.  Probabilities are good on this one, but MSU must not beat themselves.
Nov. 12 at Iowa--MSU always struggles against Iowa and for me, this is one of the more important games of the season.  Mark Dantonio has to show that he can beat Iowa.  A loss this year could consolidate a trend that will be hard to break.  Having said that, if MSU is ever going to beat Iowa, it will be this year. 
Nov. 19 Indiana--This game is like the Minnesota game: one that MSU should win but could lose, if they let their guard down.  Let's hope the Spartans have the discipline to put away the games they should win, especially this close to the end of the season.
Nov. 26 at Northwestern--what a game to finish the season.  After battling their way to a perfect record MSU faces a team that could easily destroy their perfect season.  Let's just say the Spartans bring their A-game and pull out another tough one. 

So there it is.  The Spartans go unbeaten, win the first inaugural Big Ten Championship game, and head to the national championship game.  Next: an optimistic look at the performace of some key Spartans.