For the Michigan State Spartans, their ticket to Indianapolis for the Big Ten title game is pretty much punched now. They’re good. They got this. When MSU avenged last year’s lost to Nebraska, they sinched up at least a share of the Legends Division title. And Michigan State hold the tie-breakers to boot. They’ll obviously meet the Ohio State Buckeyes it what promises to be a pretty good showdown.
Should be a fantastic matchup!
As for the Northwestern Wildcats, well it’s only a matter of time before they become a verb and end up on Urban Dictionary.com Clemsoning is already there, just like Tebowing or Kaepernicking, so Northwesterning will probably get there some day I’m sure.
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SPREAD: Michigan State Spartans -7.5
Northwestern preview:
How has this season gone? I guess I could express it through song. I choose Wham! “Careless Whisper” because there’s a very telling line in there about the current losing streak, which I detailed in this Chicago Now story “Northwestern Football Seemingly Inventing New Ways to lose” here. It’s gotten close to a 100 Facebook Likes, double digit RTs and over 3,000 page views. It’s also first in Google. But before you read it, I must channel George Michael “there’s no comfort in the truth, pain is all you’ll find.
Let’s recap Northwestern football, the road from 4-0 to 4-6.
October 5th 40-30 loss to Ohio State:
The most hyped game at NU since 1995, the ESPN College Gameday event saw a ten point 4th quarter lead dissipate. A chance to make a national statement by ending the nation’s longest winning streak…slipped away. They were outscored 27-7 in the final 19 minutes.The Buckeyes are still undefeated, but they have their own issues. They won’t likely reach the BCS title game, and then there’s the whole cheerleaders getting sexually harassed by cheerleading coaches thing,
October 12th 35-6 loss at Wisconsin
Did OSU beat Northwestern football twice? Maybe. Maybe not. This was just a thorough whipping all around; in all facets by a much more physical and much more talented football team. This one was over at the coin toss.
October 19th 20-17 loss to Minnesota
What seemed like the easiest game left on paper. Northwestern football was double digit favorites heading into the “Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl Play-in game.” The coaches told the players what the Gophers QB was going to do on the play that iced the game, before it happened. The Northwestern defense knew what was coming; but still couldn’t stop it.
October 26th lost 17-10 OT at Iowa
Questionable coaching decisions and clock management. We can debate endlessly if we would have done the same things Pat Fitzgerald did in the closing minutes of regulation. NU fumbled at the Iowa 35 with 3:13 left in regulation. #Northwesterning really became “a thing” on this day on social media.
November 2nd lost 27-24 at Nebraska.
You know this one: the 50 yard Hail Mary pass as time expired. It was a national story. Northwestern football would have cost Bo Pelini his job if they could have just knocked down a desperate last second heave; by the third string QB no less. The career of Taylor Martinez has been over for awhile. Pelini may be dismissed anyway, we’ll see. Anyways, #Northwesterning really started to take off as an idea on this Saturday. And the Northwestern secondary even made RK3 a local celebrity.
November 16th 3 OT loss to 27-19 Michigan
Entered the game on the heels of national controversy over polarizing jingoistic uniforms. PR nightmare for a couple weeks was forgotten and then overshadowed by how this one ended. It was as ugly and boring a football game as you will find for three quarters (tied 3-3 at half, 9-9 at end of regulation). Tide turned when NU punter Brandon Williams shanked a 7 yard punt.
I’ve never seen an unblocked punt travel so short. I’ve never seen an unblocked punt result in first and goal after the possession change. I’ve also never seen a last second field goal so beautifully executed, in such a short time (by Michigan) to tie it as time expired. It was an incredible loss all around. But maybe the Michigan Offensive Coordinator will get fired over this.
Michigan State Spartans preview:
The best defense in college football? Probably. They have NFL talent in Dennard, Calhoun, Bullough and Lewis. Before Mark Dantonio arrived, the Michigan State Spartans were a program mired in mediocrity. At least in the years since the 1988 Rose Bowl (and the 1999 fluke year led by Nick Saban), they always got off to fast starts and then folded. Or were extremely streaky, and got tripped by up teams like Purdue and Indiana right after big wins.
The Michigan State Spartans fell victim to trap games, but under Dantonio, and certainly not this year. I wouldn’t expect this game to be any different.
Brutally Honest record: 71-26
Prediction: Michigan State Spartans 28, Northwestern 14.
The ‘Cats have lost in every imaginable way during this six game losing streak (blown leads, overtimes, hail mary, blowout and even a few ways that you could never even imagine happening to anyone) except for a “decisive” win by the opposition. We haven’t seen a “comfortable lead” at the end for the opponent, only the one total rout at Wisconsin, and then 5 nail-biters, maybe this loss will complete the set. Then again I’ll probably be wrong because I picked NU to beat Minnesota and Michigan
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