Michigan State football: 3 fearless predictions vs. No. 8 Washington

Michigan State football will have revenge and upset on the mind Saturday but will the Spartans be able to pull it off?

The most anticipated home game in years is finally upon us and Michigan State football fans are just begging for some normalcy again. They’ll get it for at least a few hours on Saturday evening as No. 8 Washington comes to town.

A year ago, No. 11 Michigan State fell short against the Huskies on the road, 39-28, and that felt like the beginning of a massive drop-off from the 2021 campaign. Michigan State went on to get blown out at home by Minnesota and the season was officially lost.

The Spartans get a chance at revenge on Saturday in East Lansing.

Here are three of my boldest predictions for the matchup.

1. Nathan Carter will approach 150 yards

Through two games, Nathan Carter leads the Big Ten in rushing with back-to-back 100-yard games. He’s been a breakout star in the Spartans’ offense and he’s going to have yet another big game with Jalen Berger likely sidelined with an injury.

We saw a week ago that the backups were just not ready for action. A couple of the backup running backs fumbled during garbage time against Richmond. That means that Carter is going to carry most of the workload. And if we know anything about a team with Mark Dantonio on the staff, they will run the ball heavily on Saturday. I expect another big game from Carter.

Washington’s run defense has also been pretty poor against Tulsa and Boise State, allowing over 150 yards per game on the ground. Carter will approach that number on his own.

2. Noah Kim out-duels Michael Penix Jr.

Done shaking your head in disbelief yet? I know, this is a wild prediction, but that’s exactly what makes it bold and fearless, right? These wouldn’t be fun to read if they weren’t bold. I’m predicting a big game from Noah Kim as he out-duels one of the best quarterbacks in college football.

Will Kim pass for 400-plus yards like Penix usually does? Probably not, but I could see him having his first 300-yard game as a Spartan quarterback and he’ll throw three touchdown passes with no picks. On the other hand, I’m predicting a couple of turnovers from the Washington quarterback.

Fans will start believing in Kim after this one and he’ll even earn some national recognition.

3. Michigan State pulls off the shocking upset

Entering Saturday as 16.5-point underdogs, the Spartans are looking to shock the nation. Although the game will be streaming on Peacock which means that a lot of college football fans are going to miss watching this live, everyone will take notice of the score and updates on ESPN.

By the time 8 p.m. ET rolls around, Michigan State will be in a position to pull off the upset.

In a tie game just seconds left, Jonathan Kim will step up and kick the game-winning 41-yard field goal to beat Washington. Chants of “Harlon! Harlon! Harlon!” will rain down from the crowd as the Spartans celebrate their biggest home win since 2021.