Why Michigan State Football Will Survive Baylor In The Bears' Backyard

The Baylor Bears have been snubbed in spite of their schedule, while the Michigan State Spartans have been snubbed because of their schedule. The one-loss and fifth-ranked Bears will test out the National Championship turf in Arlington against the only team in the country whose only losses are to teams residing in the top four.

The Spartans fell hard at the Oregon Ducks and at home against the Ohio State Buckeyes. Both games should provide an excellent roadmap for Art Briles and the Baylor Bears to follow. Especially since Baylor’s greatest strength will be parlayed against Michigan State’s greatest weakness — the Bears’ passing attack against the Spartans’ secondary, a unit that was both gashed and exposed against the Ducks and Buckeyes.

On paper and on conference reputation, take Baylor. But what separates the current college football playoff system from every other level of football is the layoff between the regular season and the postseason. This added time helps shift the burden from the player personnel to the coaching staff. This is why you can’t apply the “hot hand” rule to a team in January based on how they played in the beginning of December — or in the Spartans’ case, Nov. 29.

Although Baylor and Michigan State knew their fate simultaneously, the Spartans have had seven additional days of rest — rest the Spartans’ secondary will need if they’re to cover the seams and pockets from being exploited by Baylor quarterback Bryce Petty.

Along with the reprieve from fatigue, comes the preparation. Great coaching is nearly everything in college football, and the Spartans head coach Mark Dantonio and defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi are both superior in their profession to Briles. Michigan State can make up their inherent deficiencies through scheme, and can hurt Baylor on offense as well with their big three in Big D — Tony Lippett, Jeremy Langford, and Connor Cook.

MSU won’t be the popular pick in Texas, but the Spartans have survived bowl games in their opponent’s backyard before, and will do so again.

Prediction:  Michigan State 27  Baylor  23

Jerry Landry is a writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @Jerry2Landry, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.