Mel Tucker isn’t making any excuses for himself or his program. When he stood up at the podium at B1G Media Days in July, the Michigan State head coach said he wants to see significant improvement from his first year to his second.

The Spartans are coming off a 2-5 campaign in 2020, but those two wins were significant. Michigan State defeated in-state rival Michigan in Ann Arbor and handed a Top 10 Northwestern team its only regular season loss of the year.

No, the record wasn’t where Tucker would’ve liked, but those were some major victories as a first-year head coach in East Lansing. He’s hoping to build off that and create a more consistent program in 2021.

There are a lot of question marks in East Lansing as the Spartans prepare for Year 2 of the Tucker era. Rather than dissect those questions, though, I’ve got five bold predictions for Michigan State this fall:

1. Multiple QBs see the field

Tucker hasn’t provided too much insight on the ongoing battle between Payton Thorne and Anthony Russo. It’s been speculated through spring ball and fall camp that Thorne has the upper hand in the competition, but the margin of separation appears to be razor-thin.

If the race is truly that tight, it’s hard to imagine that Michigan State won’t give both guys an opportunity to prove themselves in a game. There’s a good chance both Thorne and Russo see time in the Spartans’ opener against Northwestern.

At some point in the year, one of the guys might emerge as the clear-cut starter. But don’t be surprised if the Spartans roll with a two-quarterback system early in the year.

2. The run game still won’t be dominant but will see dramatic improvement

“Putrid” was the word Tucker used to describe Michigan State’s rushing attack in 2020. The Spartans averaged a paltry 91.4 yards on the ground in 8 games last season and only eclipsed the 100-yard mark in two contests. Fittingly, those two performances came against Michigan and Northwestern, MSU’s only two victories in 2020.

Michigan State welcomed in former Wake Forest running back Kenneth Walker III to East Lansing via transfer, bringing with him 1,158 yards and 17 touchdowns on the ground. He joins Jordan Simmons, Connor Heyward and Elijah Collins in a solid backfield. Having that many experienced and skilled backs should help elevate the rushing attack.

Questions remain about the offensive line play and whether it will finally be capable of moving around B1G defenses. Because of that, it’s hard to say that Michigan State’s rushing attack will finish in the top half of the conference in 2021. Still, this should be a much more formidable run game than we’ve seen over the past few seasons.

3. SEC transfers put up All-B1G numbers

Call me crazy, but the additions of former Alabama defensive back Ronald Williams and ex-Tennessee linebacker Quavaris Crouch might be the most important in the B1G this season. It addresses the departures of Shakur Brown, last year’s only interception-getter for the Spartans, and Antjuan Simmons, easily the best defensive player at MSU.

With question marks in the secondary and at linebacker, the door is open for both Williams and Crouch to step in and make an immediate impact. Crouch is the experienced guy, racking up 57 tackles, 2 for loss and 2 forced fumbles for the Volunteers last season. Williams didn’t see much playing time with the Crimson Tide, but he’s got the size, speed and talent to fit into the system quickly. These former SEC guys will put up big numbers for the Spartans.

4. The offense outperforms the defense

This hasn’t been the case very often for Michigan State, but there’s a good chance the offense is the strength for the team in 2021. The Spartans have two serviceable quarterbacks in Thorne and Russo, a loaded backfield and some really talented receivers with Jalen Nailor, Jayden Reed, (maybe) Ricky White and others. Play along the offensive line has to improve, but there’s potential for the Spartans to take a big step forward offensively this fall.

Defensively, the Spartans lack playmakers and experience. Adding Williams and Crouch to the mix and the return of defensive lineman Jacub Panasiuk were all big, but those three aren’t enough to overcome the deficiencies. Michigan State’s defense might be one of the worst we’ve seen in quite some time.

5. Michigan State finishes the season with 4 wins

I know Tucker is eager to get things rolling and made it crystal clear that last year wasn’t a free pass for the program. He talked about this being “Year 2” at Michigan State during B1G Media Days and he wants to see significant progress after a 2-5 season.

Michigan State’s biggest issue last fall was consistency. I do believe the Spartans are capable of being more consistent on a week-to-week basis this year, but there was so much turnover and too many moving pieces for this team to be a legitimate bowl contender this fall.

Will this be a better football team than a year ago? I think so. It just has a long way to go before it’s ready to compete at a high level in the B1G again.