The first college football game of the season for both the Florida Atlantic Owls and Michigan State Spartans will take place on Friday. The two teams are playing for the first time since they met back in 2021, when Michigan State won 44-0. Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Michigan will be the host of this Friday night affair.
Fans on Big Ten Network will be treated to a game featuring two teams with a bunch of unknowns. Florida Atlantic finished the season last year in 9th place in the AAC. The Owls went 4-8 and fell in their season finale to the Rice Owls. Michigan State was also 4-8 a season ago. The Spartans finished 6th in the Big Ten East and did not score in their final loss at home to Penn State. The hope for 2024 is a season of improvement for both squads.
Spartans led by Jonathan Smith
The Spartans are led by head coach Jonathan Smith. He will start four transfers on the offensive side. One of them is quarterback Aidan Chiles. Chiles played at Oregon State before transferring to East Lansing. He should give Michigan State some much-needed athleticism at the position.
Jack Velling is another transfer and should be a big-body target for Chiles in the passing game. On defense, the Spartans are projected to start five transfers. Nine of the 22 starters for the Spartans coming into the season fresh will certainly make things interesting for Michigan State.
Nate Carter is the top returning skill player on offense. He carried it 185 times for 798 yards and 4 touchdowns. His backup Jalen Berger transferred to UCLA for the 2024 season. Montorie Foster Jr and Jaron Glover return in the receiving core for the Spartans. They combined for over 800 yards receiving a season ago, so look for them to be involved early and often in the Spartans offense.
New look Owls in 2024
Tom Herman is looking to build and build quickly in Boca Raton. He has six projected starters out of the transfer portal. Both his quarterback and running back are new to the program. Cam Fancher is behind center. He played from 2021-2023 at Marshall. He tossed 10 touchdowns in 2022 and 11 in 2023 but has been marred with interceptions, including 17 in two seasons.
George Johnson III is the lead running back. He joined the Owls in January after playing at UMass and graduating with a Communications degree. He will take over for Zuberi Mobley, who will start as the 2024 backup. All three of the receivers for Florida Atlantic are new to the program. EJ Horton, Marlyn Johnson and Milan Tucker will get the load to start the season.
Florida Atlantic Owls vs. Michigan State Spartans Score Prediction
This is not going to be a cakewalk for the Spartans. Coach Herman has plans to be competitive, and do it this season. While the Spartans should win the game, the Owls from AAC will compete from start to finish.
College Sports Wire final score prediction for this game is the Michigan State Spartans 24-20 over the Florida Atlantic Owls.