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Can’t leave Big Ten football alone the game needs me. Notorious B.I.G. once said that he raps about the ghetto because that’s what he knows. And…”if I worked at McDonald’s, I’d be rapping about Big Macs and fries.”
You write and talk what you know and live. And I know Big Ten football. We’re still a ways away from Big Ten football media days. Well, less than two weeks now. The preseason is indeed here, time for some WAY TOO Early Big Ten football power rankings
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One thing I can’t stand about college football are bowl games that have just the corporate shill as their name. There’s no other name for the bowl except the shamelessly self-promoting corporate sponsor. Because you can’t refer to the game as anything else but the brand. Now Buffalo Wild Wings took this corporatization of the game a step further than all the others.
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Back to back 11 win seasons, only 7 teams in the power conferences of college football accomplished that; and the Michigan State Spartans are one. But poor MSU has zero BCS berths to show for it. In 2010 they were shafted after feasting on an easy schedule. Last year, they were an unfortunate Isaiah Lewis penalty on a very well executed Brad Nortman flop from reaching the Rose Bowl. Poor Spartans.
The Michigan Wolverines went to the BCS undeservedly ahead of them, and the Michigan St. motto “P4RB, Prepare for Rose Bowl” hasn’t happened despite 22 wins in two years. This fall they’ll be underdogs to Michigan again, even though they’ve handed big brother a defeat the past four years. Should MSU handle UM, and the rest of the division, a rematch with Wisconsin in Indianapolis likely looms.
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Andrew Maxwell is both a Detroit Red Wings and Buffalo Sabres fan, but he picks Detroit whenever they play each other.
That’s right, he’s a man for the teams of Michigan through and through and looks up to a signal caller who played for the rival Michigan Wolverines.
“I watch a lot of (Tom) Brady film, watch a lot of Aaron Rodgers film, because their success is undeniable and they must be doing something right. Brady as far as mechanics is top of the class. I try to tailor my game a little more to them,” Maxwell said at Big Ten media day.
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“Mississippi Queen…..” I don’t know the rest of that Lite beer commercial song. I’m not much for classic rock. But I do know the term certainly applies to Taylor Corley, also known as Taylor Stone the girl who gave up her MSU cheerleading scholarship to pose for Playboy and start a reality tv “career.” Click on her name to see more of her.
But there’s much more to the Mississippi State Bulldogs than a cheerleader posing nude. There’s CB Johnthan Banks (that’s not a typo, his name is Johnthan, not Johnathan) who could be among the first corners taken in the NFL Draft next April. And a defense that could help them make some noise in the SEC.
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On paper, the Outback Bowl: Michigan State vs. Georgia is a great game. Two schools that are much more worthy of being in the BCS than Virginia Tech, and probably more deserving than Michigan. So clearly, it’s a better game than the Sugar Bowl.
And the Orange Bowl too. Clemson is nothing special, and no Big East team, let alone West Virginia should be allowed anywhere near the BCS. And even though MSU and UGA were possibly worthy of at large bids, Boise State, Arkansas and South Carolina were much worthier than the Spartans and Bulldogs; and they got shut out. Proving once again the BcS in the BCS.
But it’s not the Rose Bowl, and for MSU it was all about P4RB “Prepare for Rose Bowl” and aything else is a huge disappointment.
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The Michigan State Spartans pulled out all the stops last night, but it jsut wasn’t enough. They out-gained the Wisconsin Badgers in yardage by a wide margin, and took advantage of some trick plays, but it still didn’t yield a W.
Like I said in my B1G Title game preview on Wednesday:
This game has that Mark Dantonio “trickeration” feel. Like they could win the game on a trick play with a cool name like “little giants” (Notre Dame) or “mouse trap” (Northwestern)
Perhaps it’s time to give the nickname “riverboat gambler” to Dantonio after his gutsy 2nd quarter to remember. (After all, he did say at NU in ’10 “I’ve always been a risk-taker.”)
A cajones call on a critical 4th-1 set up one touchdown. Another touchdown on a lateral from Keith Nichol to B.J. Cunningham. Followed by a direct snap to Sontag for a 2-pt conversion that no one saw coming.
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Michigan State quarterback Kirk Cousins is a very accomplished player. He re-wrote much of the Spartans record book for passing, and winning. So he has a lot of room to talk.
Tonight’s inaugural Big Ten Championship game in Indianapolis was an instant classic. It featured a lot of scoring and lead changes, and came down to the wire. Unfortunately for MSU it was decided on two questionable calls that went against them, and they lost their lead in the final minutes.
We know college football is a very emotional game, and this was an extraordinarily emotional loss for State. And Cousins had some interesting things to say in postgame.
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Here we go- the inaugural Big Ten Championship game- a play-in game for the Rose Bowl. Something MSU has has been playing for and focusing on for awhile.
This year in East Lansing, it’s all about “P4RB” meaning “Prepare for Rose Bowl” for the Michigan State Spartans. It’s a slogan you’ll find displayed on t-shirts within the program. It originated during a presentation during a winter meeting. The presentation was made by Running Backs Coach Mike Salem’s brother Wade.
“At the end of his talk, he brought up a slide that said P4RB, and his point was as we go through our winter workouts, spring practices, summer workouts and training camp, we’re not just going out to practice, or run around. We’re doing it to prepare for a Rose Bowl. And that perspective has really helped to galvanize and strengthen our workouts,” said MSU QB Kirk Cousins at Media Day.
“And the focus is not on the Rose Bowl, the focus is on the preparation and the process. And making sure we’re doing what we can towards the things we can control,” he continued.
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Michigan State has a defensive unit ranked No. 3 nationally in total defense, allowing 257.3 yards per game. Only two teams have topped 400 yards of total offense against defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi’s unit. Just the LSU Tigers and Alabama Crimson Tide are better than State at stopping their opponents. Of course, those two SEC units will play for the national title in college football, and they’re loaded with NFL talent. MSU doesn’t have near as many next level guys, which is a testament to Narduzzi’s ability.
You understand why he’s such a hot coaching prospect; especially this year with so many jobs open.
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On the banks of the Red Cedar there’s a school that’s known to sports fans.
Their specialty is college basketball, and the Spartans also play great hockey. Excuse me for taking the Michigan State fight song, and changing the lyrics. But when people think about MSU sports, Tom Izzo’s hoops program comes to mind first. Six Final Fours in 11 years will do that.
Spartan football was a national powerhouse in the 1960s; and since then MSU has produced a Rose Bowl in 1988, some great wide receivers, and not much else. However, there is a very rich football history in East Lansing beyond that. Legendary leader Duffy Daugherty led the Spartans to four national titles during the 1950s.
And this year’s Spartans, led by senior QB Kirk Cousins could tie the school record for wins with a win over Wisconsin in the Big Ten title game, and then break it with a win over Oregon in the Rose Bowl.
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By beating Northwestern today 31-17, Michigan State achieved…well they actually achieved all the big important stuff before arriving in Evanston, IL. Last week, they secured a berth to the inaugural Big Ten championship game in Indianapolis. And since beating the Wisconsin/Penn State winner (probably Wisconsin) is their one and only path to the BCS, this game meant very little in the grand scheme of things.
But don’t say that to Coach Mark D’Antonio and/or his players. Despite taking Thursday practice off, MSU came in fired up to win this game. They gave it “the ol’ college try.”
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