EAST LANSING, Mich. – If not for Michigan State, Ohio State and Notre Dame would be lined up for a shot at the national championship.

If not for Michigan State, Indiana and Central Michigan would be thinking about winning seasons.

If not for Michigan State, Northwestern wouldn't have finished Big Ten play without a victory.

The Spartans' five wins came against teams with a 28-22 record. The folks in Columbus still are scratching their heads about the Michigan State loss, which ended all talk of the Buckeyes being the greatest team ever.

The Spartans are scratching their heads about how they managed to lose five.

Three came against teams with eight wins each – Colorado State, Oregon and Michigan. No reason to complain about losing to bowl-bound schools.

It's the other two that Michigan State coach Nick Saban can't understand. The Spartans blew a late lead and lost 19-18 at Minnesota.

Last Saturday, Michigan State led 24-13 against Purdue. They had battled back from an earlier deficit and appeared in control.

"The difference between being a good team and just an OK team sometimes is the momentary lapses that you have," Saban said.

Saban willingly rattled off the "momentary lapses" he saw in the final eight minutes.

"Three penalties, a dropped pass, a couple errors in pass protection, three sacks, punt blocked with a poor snap," Saban said. "Couldn't stop them in the two-minute (drill)."

The 24-13 lead turned into a 25-24 loss. One week after shocking No. 1 on its home field, the Spartans couldn't hold off Purdue.

On Monday, a reporter asked Saban about his "somewhat up-and-down team."

"Somewhat? Are you trying to be kind?" Saban said.

Saban has an explanation: injuries.

The starting guards at the beginning of the season are long gone. Two star defensive ends are out. The starting middle linebacker has missed five games. The best cornerback suffered a neck injury.

"We've had a lot of ups and down in terms of moving guys around," Saban said. "This team has had a lot of adversity to overcome."

At the beginning of the season, Saban had a proper mix of experienced and young players. The eight seniors would show the freshmen and sophomores how to win in the Big Ten.

Going into Saturday's Illinois game, Michigan State is down to five senior starters.

"When you lose some of these players, you lose some of your leadership," Saban said. "We don't have the chemistry, character, attitude, maturity, whatever you want to call it."

A team that hands Ohio State and Notre Dame their only losses ought to cruise into a bowl game. But Michigan State can't begin to plan a trip, even if it beats Illinois. Because they played an extra game, the Spartans need seven wins to become bowl eligible.

Saban hasn't even mentioned the postseason to his players. He is too worried about the present season.

"Internally, you focus on what your team needs to do to compete the way they need to compete on a consistent basis," Saban said. "The byproduct of all that will be winning. We've tried to emphasize the intrinsic things of keeping our focus and focusing on the next play, competing down in and down out and not being affected by a good play or a bad play that happened before."

Saban isn't the only one trying to understand Michigan State's struggles. Illinois coach Ron Turner looks at the Spartans on tape and sees a talented team.

"It's hard to figure them," Turner said. "When they're on and they're going, they can play with anybody.

"At times, they look like the team that beat Ohio State. They've had a couple mistakes here and there that have hurt them."