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m i c h i g a n s t a t e ( c o n t i n u e d ) will be to find a way 2012 RESULTS 2013 SCHEDULE to replace star run- (7-6 overall, 3-5 Big Ten, 4th Legends) DateGame DateOpponent Results 8/30 W. MICHIGAN ning back Le'Veon 8/31 BOISE STATE . . . . . . . . . W, 17-13 9/7 SOUTH FLORIDAST. 9/8 at Central Michigan . W, 41-7 9/14 YOUNGSTOWN L, Bell, who's off to 9/15 NOTRE DAME . . . . . . . . . W, 3-20 9/21 at Notre Dame 9/22 EASTERN MICHIGAN 23-7 10/5 at Iowa 9/29 OHIO STATE . . . . . . . . L, 16-17 10/12INDIANA the NFL. 10/6 at Indiana . . . . . . . . . W, 31-27 10/19PURDUE C o n v e r t e d 10/13IOWA . . . . . . . . . L, 16-19 (2OT) 10/26 at Illinois 10/20 at Michigan . . . . . . . . L, 10-12 11/2MICHIGAN linebacker Riley 10/27 at Wisconsin . . . W, 16-13 (OT) 11/16 at Nebraska 11/23 at Northwestern 11/3NEBRASKA . . . . . Bullough might be 11/17NORTHWESTERN . . . . . . . . L, 24-28 11/30MINNESOTA L, 20-23 the most interest- 11/24 at Minnesota . . . . . . . . . . . . . . W, 26-10 12/29 vs. TCU* . . . W, 17-16 ing name in what * Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl looks like a probable committee situation, at least until one back or another separates himself. "It's been a dominant position for us the last few years, so it's a position of concern for us, but our guys are playing well," Coach Mark Dantonio said. "You need to find someone that you can give the ball to 250 times, and I don't know if we have that yet." Whoever is carrying the ball for Michigan State and whoever is throwing it, their job will be to cobble together enough scoring to complement a potentially dominant defense, where the biggest loss, William Gholston, might be easily replaced by pass-rushing specialist Shilique Calhoun. Strong defense has become the norm under Dantonio in East Lansing. "The first thing you need to focus on is players, because players make plays," Dantonio said in the spring. "We've done a tremendous job in developing our players in the weight room and on the practice field. The continuity of our defensive staff also helps. "Our players have game experience too. Success breeds success, and that's what happened to our football team." Michigan State will be need Michael Geiger, the top place-kicking recruit in the college football this past year, to pan out right away, as well. If the special teams are sound and the offense better, Michigan State could capitalize on a schedule that's free of Ohio State and Wisconsin and brings arch-rival Michigan to Spartan Stadium. "Expectations are down, but excitement is up," Konyndyk said. "Michigan State State thinks it's in a t Michigane Of Neoonerence gametsit good position." c fe ts, y lost its fiv — Brian Neubert d 13 poin combine last year by a from 6 starters Ten). returns 1 hest in Big (fourth hig GBIprint.com GoldandBlack.com 2013 OPPONENT PREVIEW • Nov. 2 • Ross-Ade Stadium • Time TBA • TV TBD T Ohio State Buckeyes he goals, perhaps the expectation, at Ohio State this season is simple: Win it all. And that might be realistic coming off a season in which the Buckeyes won them all in their first season under new coach Urban Meyer, stopped only by the NCAA fallout that barred one of the Big Ten's flagships from the postseason. Ineligible to play in either the conference championship Ohio State game or a bowl, Ohio State did LB Ryan Shazier returns, all it could, going 12-0 during but he'll have a rebuilt D-line in front of him. the regular season. As if expectations aren't normally excessive in Columbus, they'll be astronomical this season. "It's kind of national title game or bust based on what happened last season," said Ben Axelrod, who covers Ohio State for BuckeyeGrove.com. "… Most fans have at least penciled them into the Big Ten title game." That's precisely where Ohio State would have been last season out of the Leaders Division, from which both Ohio State and Penn State were disallowed from playing in the conference championship. Now that the pall of NCAA scandal has faded and Meyer is well established, Ohio State looks to be one of the field's greatest hopes of snapping the SEC's run of consecutive BCS championships, with an offense that returns mostly intact. The headliner is quarterback Braxton Miller, the Big Ten's best — and probably only — Heisman consideration entering 2013. Meyer inherited Miller from Ohio State's ousted prior staff, but the ultra-athletic QB immediately proved to be tailor-made for the coach's trademark spread-option offense. As just a second-year sophomore, Miller led Ohio State in rushing, totaling 13 touchdowns and nearly 1,300 Gold and Black IllustrateD • volume 23, issue 6 • 103