In preparation for the biggest game of the year thus far, College Gameday will be on site in East Lansing, Mich. on Saturday for the epic showdown between No. 5 Michigan State and No. 7 Oregon.
Although Gameday will be there, two of the more important names in the game of college football over the past few years won’t be in attendance: Marcus Mariota and Pat Narduzzi.
For the past three years, Mariota was the heart of the Oregon football program. With the quarterback at the helm, the Ducks were favored to win every game Mariota started behind center. His departure to the NFL left a large void in the Oregon offense.
On the flip side, Narduzzi, Michigan State’s defensive coordinator, was the man behind the wheel of the vaunted Spartans defense. Michigan State has been regarded as one of college football’s premier defenses over the past five years because of its fast and physical style.
Since 2010, Narduzzi’s squad was fourth in scoring defense, giving up just 18.02 points per game, according to MSUspartans.com. The team also boasted the nation’s top rushing defense (88.5 yards per game) in 2014.
But after the 2014 season, Narduzzi decided to make a change, and took the head coaching job at Pittsburgh this past offseason.
That brings the question of which team suffered the bigger loss during the offseason, the Ducks or the Spartans?
Conventional wisdom would go with Oregon and the absence of Mariota because he was physically on the field.
Not only was he the Ducks’ best player during his time there, he was the best player in all of college football last year. Mariota’s leadership and all-around talent can’t be overstated.
Players such as linebacker Rodney Hardrick, defensive end DeForest Buckner, running back Royce Freeman and wide receiver Byron Marshall have taken over the leadership role Mariota left behind.
As far as a quarterback to lead Oregon’s high-octane offense, the Ducks have turned to graduate transfer Vernon Adams Jr. But it’s difficult to duplicate the success that Mariota brought.
It is likely a similar situation in East Lansing. When it came to turnovers, that’s where Narduzzi shined brightest as coordinator.
The mindset established under Narduzzi was to stop the run and be physical with receivers in man coverage to disrupt timing between them and the quarterback. That combination led to the Spartans being one of the top teams in the nation in forcing turnovers.
While Narduzzi was never on the field playing during his tenure at Michigan State, it was his coaching and motivation that laid the groundwork for his players to succeed. When Narduzzi left for Pittsburgh, the identity of the Spartans defense left with him. That was apparent when Michigan State gave up 365 yards passing to Western Michigan last week.
One program lost its best player, while one program lost its defensive monarch. While the answer as to which loss was bigger can be debated until kickoff, the answer will not be revealed until the fourth quarter clock strikes zero on Saturday night.
Follow Ryan Kostecka on Twitter: @Ryan_Kostecka