I had originally intended to sit down and draw up the alternate Bowl scenarios for Michigan State should they lose this weekend in the Big Ten Title Game this weekend. I had a careful comparison planned to describe what happens to teams who lose their championship game and which bowl they typically fall in as it relates to their conference tie-ins. I was even going to go on and dissect that by what happens if each conference gets two BCS teams in vs. one. I still could, it'd only take forty-five minutes to write up.
But you know what? Screw that.
Michigan State football sucked from 2000 until about 2006 and if we're being completely honest it was pretty damn tepid from 1990 to 2000 with one very good year in 1999. This means up until the arrival of Mark Dantonio, MSU fans were treated to a steady diet of beating teams they shouldn't dream of beating and losing to just godawful teams and having their hearts ripped out after losing games in the last three minutes.
Yesterday, was Mark Dantonio's fifth anniversary with Michigan State. That's been lost in all the hubbub this week. When he came to East Lansing, he talked about toughness, execution and winning. When he teed off on Mike Hart after losing to Michigan, he came across as a sore loser and a bit of a jerk. Honestly, he still comes off as a bit of a jerk sometimes. And I'm ok with that. Leading is a lonely task. It's thankless, tiring and never complete. A team can always improve and so can the leaders. Sometimes to be an effective leader, you have to be a bit of a jerk.
That's why I'm going to say, I don't care what the alternative bowl picture is for Michigan State. They've gone 21-3 in their last 24 regular season games. That's more games than John L Smith won in his four years at MSU. Mark Dantonio's gone 14-2 in his last two Big Ten seasons, that ties the number of regular season wins Bobby Williams had. For Mark Dantonio, this is about going to and winning the Rose Bowl. You get the sense listening to him that this is the goal because that's what college football coaches are paid to do, go to important bowl games.
I assure you Mark Dantonio does not give a damn about what happens if we lose on Saturday. After what he's done for this program in five short years, I choose to honor that attitude. Our road to the Rose Bowl goes through Indianapolis this Saturday. An outcome other than winning has probably not crossed Dantonio's mind, I don't intend to let it cross mine either.
But you know what? Screw that.
Michigan State football sucked from 2000 until about 2006 and if we're being completely honest it was pretty damn tepid from 1990 to 2000 with one very good year in 1999. This means up until the arrival of Mark Dantonio, MSU fans were treated to a steady diet of beating teams they shouldn't dream of beating and losing to just godawful teams and having their hearts ripped out after losing games in the last three minutes.
Yesterday, was Mark Dantonio's fifth anniversary with Michigan State. That's been lost in all the hubbub this week. When he came to East Lansing, he talked about toughness, execution and winning. When he teed off on Mike Hart after losing to Michigan, he came across as a sore loser and a bit of a jerk. Honestly, he still comes off as a bit of a jerk sometimes. And I'm ok with that. Leading is a lonely task. It's thankless, tiring and never complete. A team can always improve and so can the leaders. Sometimes to be an effective leader, you have to be a bit of a jerk.
That's why I'm going to say, I don't care what the alternative bowl picture is for Michigan State. They've gone 21-3 in their last 24 regular season games. That's more games than John L Smith won in his four years at MSU. Mark Dantonio's gone 14-2 in his last two Big Ten seasons, that ties the number of regular season wins Bobby Williams had. For Mark Dantonio, this is about going to and winning the Rose Bowl. You get the sense listening to him that this is the goal because that's what college football coaches are paid to do, go to important bowl games.
I assure you Mark Dantonio does not give a damn about what happens if we lose on Saturday. After what he's done for this program in five short years, I choose to honor that attitude. Our road to the Rose Bowl goes through Indianapolis this Saturday. An outcome other than winning has probably not crossed Dantonio's mind, I don't intend to let it cross mine either.
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