He has the arm.

He has the talent surrounding him.

But is Michigan State's junior, 6-foot-3, 205-pound signal-caller Kirk Cousins ready to be the go-to guy behind center in 2010?

After a dual-quarterback experiment that received mixed reviews in 2009, it was evident that Cousins, a Holland, Mich. native, was ready to lead the Spartans' explosive offense.

With red-shirt freshman Andrew Maxwell available this season, and Goodrich High School-to-Saline transplant Joe Boisture waiting in the wings, the question of Cousins being the undisputed leader begs to be answered.

Cousins showed that he had ice water in his veins last year on the final drive during the Spartans' 33-30 loss to Notre Dame. Minus the interception that cost his team the win, Cousins was nearly perfect as he marched the Spartans down field.

Cousins threw for over 200 yards seven times, and completed over 60 percent of his attempts last season. He threw 19 touchdowns, just nine interceptions and amassed 2,680 yards as a sophomore.

Keith Nichol, who transferred from Oklahoma where he was Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford's back up, started just one game in 2009, a 24-14 win over Illinois. Nichol showed he was starter-worthy with his 13-for-25, 179-yard performance, but the reigns were handed to Cousins thereafter.

Is a dual-system good for Michigan State this year?

A quarterback's rhythm is everything. One false move, and it's all over. Offensive coordinator Don Treadwell can ill afford to break his quarterback's confidence by shuffling Cousins, Maxwell and Boisture in and out of the position.

The logical solution would be to keep Cousins as the mainstay. Questions of his mobility were raised, as Spartan fans watched Nichol scramble with great success. But Cousins showed he was fleet-of-foot in the Spartans' 41-31 loss in the Valero Alamo Bowl against Texas Tech.

Before Nichol was designated as a wide receiver in spring, he was prepared to share duties with Cousins come fall.

Winning was the bottom line.

"It's not like I'm going to turn my back on him and we're going to go our separate ways, and whoever ends up at the finish line first wins," Nichol said.

"We understand we both need to be the best we can for this team to be successful. We just want the team to win. We want to win the Big Ten championship.

That's what we talk about every day. We want to go to the Rose Bowl and win. That's been my dream since I was a kid."

There is little doubt that Cousins feels the same as Nichol does about winning. There is a slight chance, barring an uneventful year, that Cousins could make his way to the NFL Draft.

So would it make sense to give Midland native Maxwell, who is No. 2 on the depth chart, snaps this season should Cousins elect to skip his senior session?

He is projected as a first-round pick by former Spartan quarterback Bret Johnson.

Johnson has run Elite 11 camps at Michigan State since the early '90s.

"He's phenomenal," Johnson told Spartan Nation.com. "He's got everything you for the next level: Quick release — he has the size. He's got the leadership ability. He's proven to be durable. He's played in a pro system, so everything works to his favor."