Maryland @ Michigan State preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 15, 2014 ) Michigan State 37, Maryland 15

Despite coming off a gut-punching and controversial loss, Michigan State can still control its own destiny in the Big Ten. The Spartans start down a potential road to redemption Saturday when they host a reeling Maryland squad that could be a target for some of the frustration in East Lansing.

"We're going to have a great week of practice, we're going to play our tails off, and we're going to control our own destiny if we win the East (Division) and the (Big Ten) championship," linebacker Riley Bullough said in the wake of a last-minute 39-38 loss at Nebraska last Saturday that snapped Michigan State's 12-game winning streak and dropped it to No. 13 in the College Football Playoff rankings. With a win over the Terrapins, the Spartans would set up a monstrous matchup at East Division leader Ohio State the following week, and a victory there and another at home against Penn State would send Mark Dantonio's team to the conference title game. "We've got the win over Michigan. We play Ohio State…, so the goal is to win the East, get to that championship game and see how it all shakes from there," Dantonio told the school website. Maryland has lost six straight, although its last three defeats have come by an average of eight points.

TV: Noon ET, ESPN2. LINE: Michigan State -14

ABOUT MARYLAND (2-7, 0-5 Big Ten): As the Terrapins play out a difficult season with an eye toward 2016, they see the visit to Michigan State as a potential building block. "They're kind of wounded coming off the loss from last week," wide receiver Levern Jacobs told reporters. "I just think we have a great opportunity to go in there and upset that team this weekend and build on what we can do next year." To even stay close with the Spartans, Maryland will need to improve upon a passing offense that ranks 123rd in FBS play in completion percentage (46.2) and last in the Big Ten in efficiency; Perry Hills completed 6-of-16 passes in last week's 31-24 loss to Wisconsin and has 11 interceptions in six games.

ABOUT MICHIGAN STATE (8-1, 4-1): The fact that the Cornhuskers went 91 yards in four plays before scoring the game-winning touchdown last week speaks to one issue for Dantonio - a defense that has been porous at times. The last two quarterbacks the Spartans have faced are a combined 42-for-70 for 628 yards and five touchdowns and Michigan State is 10th in the conference in pass defense (249.8 yards). Connor Cook continues to put up big passing numbers of his own for the Spartans, posting four straight games of at least 328 yards and throwing for four touchdowns in each of the last two games.

EXTRA POINTS

1. This marks Maryland's first visit to East Lansing since 1950, when it picked up its only win in six all-time meetings.

2. Hills had three straight 100-yard rushing games before being held to minus-14 against Wisconsin.

3. Cook is 465 yards away from passing Jeff Smoker for second place on the school's all-time list and is tied with Smoker (10) for the most 300-yard games.

PREDICTION: Michigan State 38, Maryland 20