The final BCS standings, ever, will be released tomorrow night. Death to the BCS is finally here. Next we have a true college football playoff. And there have been many teams that got shafted over the years by the BCS: Auburn, Utah, Boise State, Missouri etc. And we’ve had those conversations. But what about Michigan State? We’re just hours from the Big Ten title game, and it looks like MSU will FINALLY get their due from the BCS.
‘Bout freakin time considering how the BCS has shafted the Spartans over the years.
Michigan State won a school record 11 games this year, Just like in 2011 and 2010. They were not granted a BCS berth in any of those years. In the first ever Big 10 title game, we had drama, excitement and controversy. It more than lived up to the hype. And afterward Kirk Cousins gave me a great soundbite. I ran from the interview room to the computer to hurry up and get this posted and get this out there.
Reporter: “Is there a part of you that wishes this game didn’t have to have been played?”
“I know people like to make money, and it’s about money and this game brought in whatever number of millions of dollars for the Big Ten conference, upwards of 20 million, someone’s getting that money, not me, but someone’s getting that money.”
Reporter: There’s talk that Michigan now gets into the BCS, you want to make a case for state? Do you need to make a case for State?
Cousins: “Michigan sat home tonight on the couch and watched us, we played our hearts out, you saw it. I don’t see how you get punished for playing, and someone else gets to sit on the couch and get what they want. If this is the way the system is, I guess it’s a broken system.”
You know how 90% of postgame press conferences and interviews are completely useless and pointless. So when something like this is said….IT IS AWESOME! The good material stands out that much more.
Cousins was completely right, State got screwed, and Michigan got an at large BCS berth to the Sugar Bowl that year. MSU was relegated to the Citrus Bowl. Same thing happened in 1999 when MSU won ten games, second most in school history. Both the Wolverines and the Spartans were 9-2 at the end of the season, with Michigan State winning the head to head match-up. However, Michigan went to the BCS Orange Bowl while State was again relegated to the Citrus Bowl. MSU did not get a BCS berth in 2010 when they went 10-1 in the regular season. So they’ve been screwed over three times.
Twice by their most hated of all rivals, UM.
Why? Because the BCS is about brands not teams. It’s about marketability more than football. It’s about who’s a bigger brand name, has a bigger fan base, travels more people and most importantly, and the most overwhelmingly of all these factors: who turns on more television sets.
This is why the Big Ten keeps getting an extra at large BCS berth, even when the league is way down. The B1G has the biggest brands with the best attendance, teams like Ohio State, Penn State, Nebraska, Michigan.
MSU doesn’t have that.
Yet. Before Mark Dantonio took over, MSU went 5-19 in November during the six previous seasons. It was S.O.S. Same Ol Spartans. Start fast and fade faster. Begin the season 6-1 and end it 7-5. More or less. Every season. Well, now they’re 18-5 under Dantonio in November. They’re a new Spartans team.
And this story has a happy ending.
Michigan State is going to Pasadena. Win or Lose. It’s probably going to happen. A BCS berth at last. P4RB. Prepare for Rose Bowl.
A BCS berth in the final year of the BCS
Paul M. Banks is the owner of The Sports Bank.net, an affiliate of Fox Sports. He’s also an analyst for multiple news talk radio stations across the country; with regular weekly segments on NBC and Fox Sports Radio. Follow him on Twitter (@paulmbanks) and RSS Catch him Tuesdays talking Illini and Northwestern for KOZN 1620 The Zone, Fridays talking Chicago Bears for WAOR 95.7 The Fan