The Trouble with Iowa

OK, so MSU is now a win away from heading to the playoffs. Too bad they are facing a dangerous Iowa team that can easily make the B1G championship game a nail-biter.

Iowa is well-coached. The players don't make many mistakes and their coaches also show a lot of creativity when it comes to play calling. They will be ready for MSU and they will squeeze every wrinkle possible out of their playbook.

In terms of talent, they are solid on defense, and they have an outstanding running back and an outstanding quarterback. Jordan Canzeri could be the most troublesome back MSU has faced since Ameer Abdullah, and CJ Beathard is frustratingly smart, mobile and accurate.

Thankfully, MSU matches up well with Iowa. Frankly, MSU is more talented on both sides of the ball. So I can only see MSU losing this one, if they make more mistakes (especially turnovers), if the Iowa coaches out-work the MSU coaches, or if Canzeri and Beathard go absolutely nuts -- kind of like Russell Wilson in the B1G championship game a few years ago (that still hurts).

So the Spartans are going to have to protect the ball and they'll have to be ready for some creative playcalling from the Iowa side. The secondary will have to step up because Beathard could be the best passer they've faced all year. He could expose them.

Shoutouts

Montae Nicholson has proven me completely wrong. Because of his struggles throughout most of this season, I thought he would need to be moved to wide receiver next year. In fact, he now looks like he could be a first-round pick as a safety by the time he graduates.

Gerald Holmes continues to look like the most effective back. In fact, I think the offense works better when he's getting the carries. He clearly has the best vision, the best ability to anticipate where the holes will be -- he is Anakin Skywalker of the backs, if you will. He is also a little shiftier than the other backs, which helps him gain yards when the blocking isn't there. He also just makes a lot of smart plays.

The corners, Hicks and Colquhoun are playing very well. They are showing a lot of confidence and athleticism. They will be tested against Iowa, so hopefully they don't end up getting exposed.