Michigan State Spartans Find Themselves the B1G BCS Darling!

Spartan coaches and players have been quick to deflect all of the talk surrounding the Big Ten’s lone darling. The pressure and expectations have arrived in

Spartan coaches and players have been quick to deflect all of the talk surrounding the Big Ten’s lone darling. The pressure and expectations have arrived in East Lansing and I say, it’s about time.

 

The Spartans are the only team left in the conference that hasn’t stumbled in their first two games thanks to what could be the nation’s best defense.

 

The Badgers coughed and limped their way through Northern Iowa and then lost to the Oregon State Beavers. Michigan got a formal introduction to Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide in what was a blowout of the Wolverines. They then followed up that performance with a squeaker in Ann Arbor giving up more than 500 yards rushing to Air Force.Â

 

Iowa lost to Iowa State… again. Ohio State looked less than spectacular against Central Florida. It doesn’t matter, the Buckeyes can’t go bowling this year due to NCAA sanctions anyway. Nebraska lost to a sub par PAC 12 team. They forgot how to tackle in their loss to UCLA. Purdue lost a close one to a good Notre Dame team and that brings us back to the 2-0 Spartans.

 

Tenth ranked Michigan State’s showdown with #20 Notre Dame is an important game for MSU as well as the Big Ten Conference. Dantonio won’t heap any more pressure on his team at the moment. He had this to say about his team being referenced as ‘the class’ of the Big Ten Conference. “We are two games in. There are ten games left. So, we are a long way from saying… this is who we are.”

 

Michigan State hasn’t been in this position more than forty years. The last two seasons were a surprise to many in the college football world, but MSU isn’t sneaking up on anybody. This team won eleven games in each of the last two seasons because this coaching staff has rebuilt the Spartans the right way. They have built depth, redshirting quality players every year. They have also done the best job of evaluating talent anywhere in America. Michigan State could be the only B1G team left in the BCS picture by mid October.

 

Some will argue that the conference is having a down year and that the Big Ten is not meeting expectations. This may very well be the case particularly with the Badgers and the Huskers. Anyone with any true knowledge of the game had to know that the Wolverines were in for a hammering. Iowa hasn’t looked complete in a number of years. Just how many transfer QB’s are going to show up in Madison? How many are going to come in and play like Russell Wilson? How much coaching and ingenuity left when Paul Chryst went to Pittsburgh? Those are questions Badgers everywhere are asking themselves.

 

While the rest of the Big Ten sputters and stumbles, it is up to Michigan State to represent and take care of business on a big stage this weekend. The Irish are a very good football team with a front seven that would rival anyone in the B1G… except of course Michigan State. Are the Spartans really the Big Ten’s BCS darling? We’ll know a little bit more on Saturday night.