The MSU Football Postseason Awards

Instead of taking Jim Delany's idea of naming the conference trophy after a coach who was very successful 70 years ago with a school that hasn't been part of the Big Ten in 50 years, I think we'll pursue a more modern award name or at least a more Spartan one. Our awards will be called the Perles trophies. When MSU wins it's next Rose Bowl, the name will be updated to the Mark Dantonio award.

Without further adieu, the George Perles awards for 2011.

The George Perles Award for Most Improved Position Group(From 2010-2011): The Defensive Line. The defensive line was in a word, breathtaking. The combination of Gholston and Worthy was dominating this year. The projected loss of Worthy and actual loss of Pickelman and Strayhorn will be a huge question mark going into the 2012 season.

The George Perles Award for Most Improved Position Group(Intra-Season): The Offensive Line. Against Youngstown State, the Offensive Line looked out of position, unsure of what it should be doing. By the Outback Bowl, Dan France was getting beat by one of the elite pass rushers in the nation this year, but they still found a way to recover and score 27 points in the second half. This was largely on the back of the Offensive Line buying time for Cousins to throw.

The George Perles Award for Unsung Hero: Mike Sadler. Early in the Ohio State game, a wayward snap(I can't remember whether it went over his head or he just bobbled it) was recovered and booted away before the OSU players could get to him. This was deep in our own endzone and would likely have resulted in points for OSU. That matters in a game that ends 10-7. If MSU loses they are 3-2 coming home Columbus. At the risk of "What-If"-ing this to death, if Sadler doesn't make that play I don't know if MSU is 10-2 in the regular season.

The George Perles Award for Offensive MVP: Le'Veon Bell. Feel free to beat me with socks full of batteries if you must, but the MSU offense got very, very good right around the time Bell took over as the lead tailback. This is no slight against Mr. Cousins who is the best QB in MSU history, but what made the MSU offense move from struggly to very good was the faith put in Bell.

The George Perles Award for Defensive MVP: Jerel Worthy. Just like the Offensive MVP I don't think you can have one without the other. So the threat of Gholston allowed Worthy to make some plays. I think in this case if you take Worthy away, Gholston struggles more than if you take Gholston away from Worthy. We'll likely see next year. The Haunting Spectre of Jerel Worthy caused teams to gameplan around protecting the interior of the line which freed up Gholston on the edges, IMO.

The George Perles Award For Best Freshman: Marcus Rush. Rush played solid defense at the Defensive End position opposite Gholston all season long. Unlike Gholston, who's job appeared to be to either stuff the run or kill the QB. Rush dropped into pass coverage with some regularity(as regularly as a DE does anyway) and did a good job defending the pass. He and Gholston will be a treat to watch in 2012.

The 2011 season was definitely one to enjoy, back to back 11 win seasons is something that hasn't been experienced in post World War II football by either Michigan or Michigan State. While it was easy to enjoy, it'll be a bit difficult to remember. MSU was so very close to going to the Rose Bowl, where I think they would have beaten Oregon, but we'll never know. Any hypothesizing as such is just that.

All we can do is thank Mark Dantonio, his coaches and the players. In forty years, MSU fans have been treated to some very mediocre football. In the last four years, MSU has become a football program to be proud of, a program who looks at the Outback Bowl as not good enough.

On Tuesday afternoon, when the team arrived home Le'Veon Bell could have gone home. After a week away from EL, it would have been fair to do. But he didn't. He got off the bus and was in the film room in 20 minutes. This is what MSU football is about now not being satisfied with what they've done, but enjoying the moment and focusing their eyes on where they're going. I'm just happy us fans can be along for the ride.

MSU - Wisconsin: We Don't Need a Rivalry Trophy

It was a very long and quiet ride home last night. My friends and I pulled into town said our goodbyes at 5:00 am and went to bed. I woke up this morning and the weather was dingy and gray which of course did not instantly improve the mood. Caffeine on a mainline was a move in the right direction, but still, slow going. The BCS is a disaster as usual, featuring a game no one wants to see, as usual. It's really hard to feel good, great or even morally victorous about the game I watched last night. Yet, I do feel those things in fits and starts.

When the Bielema presser opened last night, his first comment was: "I was reading a lot about how Michigan State was preparing for the Rose Bowl, we were just preparing for Michigan State." Honestly, I could understand Bielema's confusion since he hadn't actually won the Big Ten outright before, he might not know what happens next. ZING! I was mildly concerned about this after reading Dantonio put roses in the player's lockers on Friday. MSU didn't look past Wisconsin though anymore that Wisconsin looked past them. These two teams are the best two teams in the Big Ten and in my opinion it isn't even close.

Since Mark Dantonio and Bret Bielema started playing each other the average margin of victory has been 5.2 points per game.  Dantonio has shown no qualms about rolling out the old cliche, "Football is a game of inches" basically every ten minutes for the past few years. This rivalry is an excellent example of that cliche and this game was an excellent example of this rivalry. Between both MSU and Wisconsin, there were probably a dozen plays where less than a foot made the difference between who wins the Stagg trophy and who goes to the Outback Bowl.

To get into game theory in this post feels wrong, except for the much maligned punt block call. Several people on Twitter were gnashing their teeth over the stupidity of this call. To me, you couldn't have called that any differently. Mark Dantonio is not in the business of playing not to lose games, he's in the business of winning them. You don't win games by not trusting your best players to make plays. The play didn't work, but it was the right call.

The goals of Michigan State Football should be in this order: 1.) Play in and win the Rose Bowl. 2.) Everything else. After 12 games, 58 minutes and 27 seconds Goal Number 1 finally eluded our grasp. Now it is time to begin preparing for Goal Number 2, beating our bowl opponent and getting the Bowl Win monkey off our back. On January 3rd, we can begin preparing for the 2012 season's Rose Bowl.

This game is a real rivalry and I fully support Bielema's notion to create a trophy. If I were feeling cockier this morning, I'd say you could skip a new trophy though, because the Stagg one works just fine. If 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2011 parts one and two are indicative of the next ten years of MSU-Wisconsin football, this rivalry is not going away and you will be treated to some of the best football games a person can watch in the coming years. Luckily our road to next year's Rose Bowl runs through Madison and if MSU gets to deliver a little payback on it's way, I'll be happy to watch.

Quick Meta Note: I gots me lots of catch-up to do in areas of life not related to College Football Blogging. Updates will be pretty sparse until after December 22nd when I'm off for the rest of the year. When we come back, we'll have probably another Wisky film review, a preview with our Bowl Opponent. Until then, it's going to be pretty random what goes on the blog. Follow us on twitter by banging the link to the right for more microbloggy updates.

Prepare for Rose Bowl.

A couple of months ago, I took my family to the dentist. Being a good Spartan, the dentist in question has MSU memorabilia up all over the office, including a matted and framed blimp shot of the 1988 Rose Bowl. Exactly as above, but with “MSU” and “USC” in the end zones.

My five-year-old son looked up at the picture and said, “Dad, is that Spartan Stadium?” “No,” I answered, “that is the Rose Bowl.” I blanketed the words with velvet reverence.

“But, it says ‘MSU’!”

“Yes,” I explained, “they paint the end zones for the schools playing the Rose Bowl game that year. You see, the Rose Bowl is a game played between the champion of the Big Ten and the Pac-10 every year, except . . . well, uh, sort of. Mostly. Yes, mostly.”

He asked, “Is that from this year?” I grinned wryly. “Heh, no, that’s a picture from 1988, the last year Michigan State played in the Rose Bowl. I was seven years old then, same as your big sister is now.”

Oh my God.

OH MY GOD.

Since the Spartans last went to the Rose Bowl, I grew up and went to MSU and got married and had a kid and now that kid is as old as I was when the Spartans last went to the Rose Bowl.

I felt no pain at the dentist that day. Nothing could sting quite like the realization that for all the big wins and star players to come out of Michigan State since I became self aware, they’ve spent almost the entire time failing to get anywhere near Pasadena. USC has gone to the Rose Bowl EIGHT TIMES SINCE THEN. Illinois, Purdue, Northwestern and freaking Wazzou have all been to the Grandaddy of Them All more recently than Michigan State.

You know who started the 1988 Rose Bowl for USC? Rodney Peete. Rodney Peete, who finished second in Heisman voting to Barry Sanders, got drafted by the Lions in the 6th round, was immediately installed as the starter (!), and had a sixteen-year career in the NFL which ended seven years ago.

Rodney Peete! Tecmo Super Bowl!

Last year the Spartans won the Big Ten Championship, or whatever passes for it these days. By traditional rules, that would have ended the interminable Rose Bowl drought, but no. Wisconsin, a team they beat soundly during the regular season, had collected more Starbits or something and so Michigan State had to go the Capital One Bowl and suffer a loss so spectacular that the clothing line bearing the #BEATEMDOWN hashtag it spawned still sells like hotcakes.

The Rose Bowl was first played in 1901, nine months before the inauguration of Theodore Roosevelt. It’s been played 97 times since then, twenty times more than any other bowl. It is the bowl game that is the reason bowl games are called ‘bowl games.’ But these are Modern Times and so in order for the best team from the Big Ten to go to the Rose Bowl as has been done since my Grandfather was like negative thirty, Michigan State must beat a team it already beat this year in a big fake money grab perpetrated by profiteering gasbags who miss no opportunity to ‘brand’ themselves with tradition they stomp all over while selling out to the highest bidder, or really any available bidder.

So be it.

Wisconsin, I’m sorry. You guys have a real cool program and a real good team and I dig that thing you do when you all jump around until your stadium exhibits signs of imminent structural failure. But this is bigger than you. It’s a mission, a duty, a crusade to win back the prestige and heritage of Biggie and Duffy and every All-American who’s worn the only colors. The Spartans have won 21 games in two seasons and we aren’t going to the Capital One, Outback, or heaven-help-us Alamo Bowl again. This game means nothing to you, and it means everything to us.

Spartans, #P4RB.

Game Preview: Wisconsin (Again)

Film Review: Here

Well we're about to play Wisconsin, again. We're not favored to win, again. It's not even expected to be close, again. Beating someone twice in a year is really damn hard. Yet, I feel optimistic about this game. Mark Dantonio can be accused of many things but backing down from a real fight is not one of them.

Respect

We do not garner the respect of the Badger fans, and despite what the Badger team is saying to the media, this is a revenge game. When QB Russell Wilson was asked why he chose Wisconsin over other schools, he replied that he felt this school gave him the best opportunity to win a national title. Then the Badgers roll into East Lansing and get beat by some SPECIAL teams play and a fluky Hail Mary pass. According to them anyway. This is a revenge game and being dishonest about that is in my opinion disrespectful.

Further, in an article from Monday from the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel it was reported that in the secondary ticket market (Stubhub specifically) that thirty-seven percent of the tickets were being bought from Michigan while a scant fourteen percent were being bought from Wisconsin. This implies a couple things that may be true. First, Wisconsin fans are not snapping up tickets because they feel their Rose Bowl berth is an eventuality. Second, Wisconsin fans are staying home because they're national title hopes were torpedoed in East Lansing a few months ago. Maybe both? It doesn't really matter. They're not coming and MSU fans are because they respect their own team and Wisconsin's team. I think the role of underdog coupled with good MSU fan turnout will be a plus for MSU.

Home Team

The Home Team of this game has won the last seven meetings. While this is not a typical home game for MSU the above evidence of ticket purchasing in the secondary ticket market leans towards this being an MSU favorable game. This is not the critical piece that will win MSU this game, but it will help.

An Interesting Sidebar

The matchup of this game will undoubtedly be MSU's Defense vs. Wisconsin's Offense. Interestingly, two candidates rumored to be the forerunners to replace the Zooker (no one can truly replace him) are MSU Defensive Coordinator Pat Narduzzi and Wisconsin Offensive Coordinator Paul Chryst. Chryst is currently denying the rumors, but Narduzzi has remained mum on the subject. 

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Wisconsin's Passing Offense vs MSU Passing Defense

The Michigan State defense will face it's toughest aerial test since they played Wisconsin in October. In case you haven't heard Wilson is on pace to break the NCAA passing efficiency record. Moreover, his last interception came in the fourth quarter of the Michigan State game in October. In the Michigan State game in October Wilson threw two interceptions. In the remainder of Wisconsin's season, he threw just one pick in the other eleven games. 

In the match-up round one, MSU sacked Wilson twice and hurried him an additional five times. Wilson threw two picks. You can easily say this was Wilson's worst game of the season despite the fact he was 14/21 for 223, 2 TDs and 2 picks. He also didn't have a pass hit the ground until 8:33 left in the third quarter. 

How will this round be different?

Wisconsin's All-American center Peter Konz is either out or playing hobbled this weekend and backup Ryan Groy has not looked ready in relief. Further, William Gholston will be in the house this weekend. What has made our defense special this year is that Worthy + Gholston is too much for five OL to handle. 

A concern in the other direction is that Dennard did a very nice job limiting Abbrederis' YAC in Round One and Dennard is coming back from injury this week. Lippett has looked decent in relief, but he is not as sure a tackler. Nick Toon was also coming back from an injury in round one and is totally healthy now. 

All in all, I expect a similar performance from Wilson throwing a pick or two on Saturday and because of MSU rushing Wilson into bad throws.

Advantage: MSU(Slight)

Key Matchup: Jerel Worthy vs. Interior Wisconsin line

Wisconsin's Rushing Offense vs MSU Rushing Defense

The Michigan State defense will face it's toughest rushing test since getting annihilated by Nebraska in late October. I suspect after watching MSU play Nebraska that Wisconsin will wheel out some elements that worked particularly for Nebraska. Montee Ball also will probably not get his bell rung midway through the second quarter and have only five carries in the second half. James White seems to be a quality back, he's like .85 LeVeon Bell, who is of course our BEST running back. In order to slow down this rushing attack our best bet honestly is to put the clamps on Wilson and force them to run more. 

MSU has held it's Big Ten opponents 75 yards below their average rushing yardage per game in 2011. That's ridiculous. However, they merely held Wisconsin 26 yards below their average in round one. Again, the return of Gholston could be critical here in couple with the loss of Konz. Ball has improved throughout the year and Wilson hardly ran at all in round one. In my opinion this will continue to be an advantage for the Badgers, the Badgers always run the ball well. Always.

How will this round be different?

It probably won't. Ball carried only five times after getting his bell rung in round one, but averaged 9.4 ypc on those runs. White 3.8 per carry which was a yard or so below his season average. Wisconsin will gash MSU's defense on the ground. MSU will need to keep the bleeding reasonable and hold Wisconsin to their season average or below.

If Worthy and Pickelman can crash the interior line, this could get ugly quick.

Advantage: Badgers

Key Matchup: Montee Ball vs MSU Linebackers

MSU's Passing Attack vs Wisconsin's Passing Defense

Kirk Cousins career numbers against Wisconsin are: 62.7 percent passing for 760 yards with 8 TDs and 3 picks and he's always had a positive turnover margin. If you take out the 2009 game when he wasn't even the full-time starter yet, those numbers improve to 70 percent passing for 559, 6 TDs and 2 picks. Kirk Cousins shows up ready to play against Wisconsin. Honestly, I think he knows how to get those Badgers. 

From the receivers perspective, Keshawn Martin is healthier than he was during round one and I believe we only lost Dion Sims from the receiver corps. All in all, I like MSU to be better in the passing game than in October.

Advantage: MSU

Key Matchup: Kirk Cousins vs the Badger secondary.

MSU's Rushing Attack vs Wisconsin's Rushing Defense

MSU's run game has really started to gel in the past few weeks. It still will not be a strength for MSU, but it's not the weakness it was even back when MSU played Wisconsin in October. Bell will do a good job poking holes in the defense for Baker to later run through when they're a little more tired. I expect MSU to do a workmanlike job running the ball, but Roushar will be ready to put the ball in Cousins very capable hands at the first sign of distress.

Advantage: Badgers

Key Matchup: LeVeon Bell vs Chris Borland

Special Teams

I promise you the following, we will not block a punt for a touchdown and block a field goal to keep three points off the board. That's straight up a ten point swing that MSU will have to generate through better offense and defense. If I'm wrong, excellent, but that second quarter was pretty much the best quarter of Special Team play I have ever seen in round one. 

Statistically speaking, their punter gets better yards per punt 41-39. Although I'd suspect Sadler's net average is lower. Muma gets a touchback 22 percent of the time vs 11 for Welch. Keshawn Martin averages 12 yards a punt return to Abbrederis' 17. (Note: Don't kick to Abbrederis if avoidable). Nick Hill averages 25 yards per kick return to Abbrederis' 23. The Badgers Philip Welch is 4/5 on FG for the year vs Conroy's 14/19. Which like, 5 FGA attempted, maybe the Badgers offense really is good.

Advantage: Push

Key Matchup: Mike Sadler vs Jared Abbrebrreerderrddderis

Coaching

I have been on a one-man Bielema is a crappy coach rant all year long. That doesn't change here. If he is winning though, he won't be afraid to rub our noses in it. That would suck.

Advantage: Mark Dantonio

Overall

I think these teams are pretty much even despite what the national media would say. This entire game is strength on strength. Whoever wins the point of attack between the Offensive and Defensive lines, wins. I think it is absolutely that simple and cliche. I believe the intangibles favor Michigan State, but obviously they're impossible to measure. Oustide of the special teams play, I think the blueprint for a very similar game between both teams is likely. 

MSU in my opinion has the superior coach.  Earlier this year, I wrote a piece asking the question if Ferentz had Mark Dantonio figured out? With a victory this weekend I might pose the same question of Dantonio and Bielema. 

Prediction: See you in Pasadena

The Alternative Bowl Picture For Michigan State

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.

The Bowl Picture and Raised Expectations

On Saturday night, my wife and I went to do Thanksgiving with some friends of ours who figured out a formula for really enjoying thanksgiving. A night without the kids + turkey + bacon + beer, in case you were curious. My wife started asking me about what bowl I thought we'd end up in and I said, "No worse than the Capital One Bowl." She said, "Oh, okay." and she was a bit disappointed. "Exactly, my thought too." I said. So it is with no offense meant to the folks meant to the people who run the Capital One Citrus Bowl that I write the following paragraphs.

In 2006, Drew Stanton scored on a keeper, and as he was running through the end zone the mike accidentally picked him up yelling. "F*** yeah, we're going to a bowl!". At the end of the 2007 season, we all still talked about our trip to the 1999-2000 Citrus Bowl as a heralded moment in MSU football history. Now in 2011, the idea of the Captial One Bowl is kind of like a consolation prize. It might feel like a consolation prize because in our last two appearances we've gotten beat pretty handily, but I don't think that's the reason.

The reason is, after going 11-1 in 2010 and being en route to 10-2 in 2011 against the toughest road schedule I can remember, is that we have raised our expectations for this team. Second place and it's resulting tie-in of the Capital One Bowl isn't good enough for us anymore. The team's motto for 2011 has been P4RB, short for Prepare For Rose Bowl. What's strange is that while there is a disconnect between what's going on for the team and the fans sometimes, this is a place where they are definitely on the same page. Win out through the conference title game and MSU will be playing in Pasadena. This is the expectation of Mark Dantonio and this is becoming the expectation of the fans as well.

If you want the statistical breakdown of our likelihood of making the Rose Bowl, peep SpartanDan's work over at The Only Colors. As a team MSU controls it's own destiny to the Rose Bowl since 1990. As a recent MSU football devotee, 1997-present, this is new and strange territory for me, not hopin' and wishin' and prayin' for help from another team. The bar has been set at playing for the Rose Bowl for 2011 and MSU controls it's fate to do so.

ESPN College GameDay: Built by Home Depot, Conquered by Michigan State Spartans

You are going to be on ESPN.

You’re reading this; you know where you’re going. Early Saturday morning, you’ll swathe yourself in Green and White and drive to campus. You’ll wait until 6:00 am, when they’ll let you park in the Trowbridge ramp for $15. You’ll proceed to Munn Field, which will be opened for you (and thousands of your closest friends) at 7:00. Two hours later, the football-watching world will see you piped into their home—and the strength of our numbers.

Last time ESPN College Gameday came to Michigan State, it was 2005. The Spartans were a miserable 5-5. GameDay was not there to witness a clash of titans; they were there to crown Penn State.

This season, ESPN is putting Michigan State on the biggest possible stage. We’re playing for extraordinarily high stakes. We’ll host the Wisconsin Badgers, the usurpers of our rightful 2010 Rose Bowl berth. As you know, MSU is 5-1 and the Badgers are 6-0; both teams are undefeated in-conference. A win would put either school in the driver’s seat to win their B1G division.

Last week, Jim wrote eloquently about the Little Brother mentality. It’s clear that the team has overcome this complex, but have the fans? Saturday will be the true test.

Everyone even casually associated with Michigan State understands the importance of the Michigan rivalry; campus was saturated with fans last week. But do we really play a one-game season, in fans’ minds? Has the team already accomplished everything fans hungered for?

Us Michigan State fans have always held the great teams of Biggie Munn and Duffy Daugherty dear. We’ve been raised to believe our rightful place in the NCAA hierarchy is at or near the top; we should perennially compete for Rose Bowl berths and occasionally be amongst the best in the land.

The reality’s been different.

The other day, my family went to our dentist. In his hallway, he’s hung a matted and framed aerial photo of the 1988 Rose Bowl. My son eagerly asked questions about it; while answering I heard myself say I was his big sister’s age—seven years old—the last time MSU played in Pasadena.

Last season was very nearly Michigan State’s triumphant return to the top of the Big Ten food chain; this game and the next could right 2010’s wrong. It’s no secret the Marks Dantonio and Hollis aim to elevate Michigan State football back to its lofty historical perch. Part of that means not being satisfied with a winning record, a bowl berth, and beating Michigan. Part of being a perennial conference contender and occasional national contender is understanding the stakes for which our Spartans play.

This game, against this opponent, with each team’s respective records, and a national prime time audience, should be importance enough. Spending all day and all night tailgating before showing up in droves would normally be fine. But Spartan fans have an incredible opportunity to show that not only our team is ready for the national stage, but our school, program, and fans are too.

Really, this is all wasted effort on my part. I don’t know why I’m writing to you. I don’t know why I’m preaching to the choir. You’ll be there. You’ll be wearing your colors and screaming in and out of commercial breaks and you’ll cheer your brains out when the 200th piece of mascot headgear Lee Corso ever dons is a Sparty head.

Don’t worry, I didn’t mean to harangue you, proud and loyal Spartan.

I’m talking to everyone else.

The Devil's Five Key Things

We're taking the five key things series and weaving it in with the Devil's Advocate series we did last year. Co-Authoring this segment will be my partner in crime Ty from the Lions in Winter. Check out his blogified 3-0 hot start here.

Hosting Today's Session


1.) Is Jim Tressel Der Sätanhitlër?

Jim Tressel is a "tragic hero" and by that I mean Der Sätanhitlër. He couldn't stop lying even after he got fired. I read somewhere he wouldn't take another job until he read 100 books. 93 days later he gets hired by the Colts for some crap position doing some crappy thing, probably telling people Payton Manning will be under center next quarter. I'd like to point out that's 1.075 books per day, I know if I had been the Godfather at a place like OSU for 10 years I'd have some stuff to do that had nothing to do with reading books. Like seeing family. So Imma go ahead and call Shenanigans. No way he read 100 books before taking that job.



Stop lying Jim Tressel, the world is a safe place.

Jim Tressel is black of heart and false of tongue, but it’s getting increasingly hard to believe he’s any worse than the majority of DI colleagues. Most AQ conference programs that have achieved year-over-year success in the last decade have been sanctioned, or are under investigation, or are technically following rules that very badly need to be changed (like 237 Alabama signees finishing their degrees at Too Bad You Aren’t Good Enough To Start at Alabama Technical Institute).

It seems like NCAA football has become NASCAR: If you ain’t cheatin’, you ain’t tryin’.

2.)You think this is the game Keshawn Martin does this thing?

I think this is the game where Keshawn Martin will do more of his thing. He's gone out of a couple games hurt now which leads me to believe he's a bit dinged up and spent very little time making people miss. Still, I don't think that running will come easy to us and the best way to help that out are with bubble and short screens to Keshawn. We're really missing a second receiving option right now to free Keshawn up to Keshawn his way across the field for the Make Glorious Keshawn!

I have a sneaking suspicion it is. Keshawn has a way of uncorking the huge return or the ridiculous reverse right when things are bleakest. Maybe it’s because Dantonio typically calls his number most when things are bleakest—but either way, I have to believe that if Keshawn is physically able to have a statement game, he has it Saturday.

3.) Should the Spartans try to stop the run, or attack the pass?

They should commit to stopping the run, I don't think Miller can beat us with his arm. If we can get up a score or two Fickell will have to think about Bauserman and I am all for creating the QB platoon of doom.

The Spartans unit that is the most better than the OSU equivalent is the downfield passing game. If the defense can rattle Miller early, and the Spartans can get a lead, I like our secondary to snag a couple picks in the second half—which should be an enormous advantage.

4.) How much more do we see of the unbalanced line?

I don't think we'll wheel it out again like we just found how damn awesome Tickle-Me-Elmo is and everyone's like dude that's so 1996. However, I rewatched bits of the ND game and was looking for the unbalanced line plays in particular. We ran four plays that I saw, there were probably a few more, but in the four I saw:

- 3 were run to the weakside. On two of the three McDonald the LG and he was functionally the tackle. He got beat at the point of attack and if he wins the point of attack on either of those runs Baker goes for like 9 instead of 1.5. On the run to the strongside the five left of the center go out to murder Notre Dame lambs.

So far, so good



The Weakside DE comes free, I mean not even slowed down.



Which ends up in TFL



So, I guess the long and the short of it is. It's not like the Unbalanced line is schematically broken. Had an OL gone back to seal off the backside that play maybe gets sprung for a few more yards. The formation has potential, and I think we see it again.

Out there on those things they call the Interwebs is a site called Smart Football, and it is about how smart people coach football teams smart. There’s an awful lot of reading material on Smart Football about unbalanced lines, and how smart coaches use them. The thing is, Mark Dantonio does not usually coach “Smart Football,” at least not by that site’s way of measuring.

Using an unbalanced line to get as many big bodies in front of Edwin Baker as possible isn’t just Smart Football, it’s smart football. Maybe Dantonio and his staff are too inexperienced in coaching it. Maybe they have a bunch of offensive linemen who were playing defense until recently and they’re having a hard time picking it up. Either way, I want MSU to keep using the unbalanced line, because when it clicks it’s going to be a powerful weapon.

5.) Do you hate Ohio State for costing us the Rose Bowl?

The Jim Tressel answer is no. But the truth is yes. The last time we played in a Rose Bowl was 1988. I was 8. Jim Tressel is one of Mark Dantonio's dearest friends. So dear in fact that Jim Tressel agreed to suspend his guys for the first five games of 2011 so that way he could to a BCS Bowl in 2010. This was of course based on the idea that he or Pryor would BE around this year.

I wrote the game preview a bit sheepishly yesterday, but I was driving home and I was thinking to myself this year's slogan is P4RB- Prepare for Rose Bowl, but the damnedable misery of it is that the slogan should be GB2RB- Go Back 2 Rose Bowl. When Dantonio came to town his first commit in the 2008 class was a young man named Charles Burrell. He told Charles that Charles would play in a Rose Bowl if he came to Michigan State. I remember specifically the mocking from various Wolverine sites on the matter. Dantonio held up his end of the bargain and Jim Tressel went out of his way to make sure that OSU got it's BCS spot.

We owe them an asskicking, whether we give it to them or not. So to answer your question, I don't hate Ohio State. I have some choice words about Jim Tressel though.

YES. Forget everything I said before. He is Der Sätanhitlër.

Final Prediction from yesterday stands: OSU 21 MSU 20. I want to believe, but I need to see first.

Oh you doubting Thomas. MSU 27 OSU 23. Last week, I correctly predicted a defensive score. This week, I see two second-half interceptions.

Progress by Stagnation

Michigan State football was the beneficiary of a quirk of college football physics: progress through stagnation.  Thanks to Northwestern’s Pyrrhic (Persahic?) victory over Iowa, the Hawkeyes fell out of the Rose Bowl race.  By not playing at all, the Spartans emerged unscathed past another week of Big Ten competition—and unless they pratfall at home against Purdue, should do so again this weekend.  Further, the one team who has a lead on MSU in the Rose Bowl race will have to leap a much higher hurdle: Iowa, whose defeat of MSU and subsequent loss to Northwestern put us all in this mess to begin with.

I’m usually one of those obnoxious people who parses common sports phrases for their actual meaning—so when talking heads on TV talk about receivers “catching the ball at its highest point,” I chuckle at the mental image of a guy launching himself fifteen feet in the air to nab a skinny post at its apogee.  But the other day, I caught The John Kincade Show, and Kincade sussed out one I’d never thought of: “controlling your own destiny.”  It’s completely impossible to “control” your destiny!  If it is truly Michigan State’s destiny to play in the Rose Bowl, if it is written in the stars, then it IS going to happen; we’re all just along for the ride.

What of it, then?  Is it already a fait accompli?  If I could get my hands on Biff’s Sports Almanac, would I see Michigan State in Pasadena this year (A: no, it only ever went up to 2000)?  Honestly, I think the opportunity will be there.  All season long I’ve had a weird itch, an inkling, a hunch that Ohio State would trip up at the end of the season.  My hunch was that it would be Michigan doing the tripping; after all the hullaballoo surrounding the Wolverines this year, wouldn’t that just beat all?  Better yet, it would cinch immediate Coach-For-Life-Until-We-Get-Really-Sick-of-Scoring-Fifty-Points-a-Game-and-Winning-Eight-Games status for Rich Rodriguez.  However, if it’s to be Iowa—who’s been in the business of making and unmaking seasons of destiny this year—then that’s fine with me, too.

The question: even if the path is clear, can the Spartans walk down it?  Even if the enemy is waylaid for them, can they claim their prize?  Even if all they have to do is walk into Happy Valley and walk out victors, can they pull it off?  Ah, that’s a question for next week.  This week, the task is simple: win by not-losing, for the third week in a row—and let the stars choose whom they will.

The Bowl Picture

Who has two thumbs and wants to go to a bowl game? This guy.

Here's the Big 10 Bowl Schedule for this year:

Pick	Name	Location	Opposing Conference	Opposing Pick
1	Rose Bowl	Pasadena, California	Pac-10 or BCS	-
2	Capital One Bowl	Orlando, Florida	SEC	2
3	Outback Bowl	Tampa, Florida	SEC	3/4
4/5	Gator Bowl	Jacksonville, Florida	SEC	6
4/5	Insight Bowl	Tempe, Arizona	Big 12	4
6	Texas Bowl	Houston, Texas	Big 12	6
7	TicketCity Bowl[24]	Dallas, Texas	C-USA or Big 12	- or 8
8	Little Caesars Pizza Bowl	Detroit, Michigan	MAC	1

Oh yeah, #6 Big 10 vs #6 Big 12. I'm not sure whether we're the Big 12 or the Big 10 in this scenario, cause see we're the Big 10 with 12 teams and they're the Big 12 with 10... Oh my god, I've gone cross-eyed.

With Wisconsin sitting at #7, Ohio State sitting at #9, MSU at #11 and Iowa at #13. The odds of two big ten teams getting into a BCS bowl seem high. So for the purposes of this conjectur-y sort of thing, we'll assume the Big 10 sends two teams.

If MSU, Wisconsin and OSU win out
- Wisconsin - Rose
- OSU - At-Large
- MSU - Citrus

This would pretty much suck. By pretty much suck, I mean completely suck. As an aside, there's a great chance we play one of Alabama, LSU or Auburn. Luckily Les Miles forgets what he's doing sometimes and is the most likely to be that guy. Also, he is the most hated coach of a top 10 team ever.

If MSU, Wisconsin win out and OSU loses
- MSU - Rose
- Wisconsin - At-Large
- Iowa - Citrus

Well obviously, this would be the damn WIN scenario, wouldn't it?


If MSU, OSU win out and Wisconsin loses
- OSU - Rose
- MSU - At-Large
- Iowa - Citrus

If MSU loses again once
- MSU - Outback Bowl

It's weird to type that and think, eh. But after how well the year has gone it's kind of strange to see that and not be impressed. But I would not be impressed.

Remember, we're Iowa fans next weekend. We need an Iowa win to make this all possible.