Mel Tucker leads No. 15 Michigan St against Western Michigan

By The Associated Press

No. 15 Michigan State opens with Western Michigan on Friday night at home. Mel Tucker was named Big Ten coach of the year last season after winning 11 games, following a 2-5 debut with the Spartans in 2020. Broncos coach Tim Lester is 32-25 in five seasons and is coming off a 52-24 win over Nevada in the Quick Lane Bowl. Michigan State has eight starters back on defense and five on offense. .The Broncos return eight starters on defense and four on offense from last year’s team that was 8-5 overall and 4-4 in the Mid-American Conference.