OT: Sparty On Fast Track For Undefeated Season?
October 11th, 2010 at 11:21 AM ^
Hawkeyes
October 11th, 2010 at 11:38 AM ^
The X factor here is that playing in the Big Ten forces you to be on your A (maybe B+) game each week. As much confidence as a team has, it's easy to trip up against an Illinois or Purdue because they find ways to exploit your mistakes on bad days. MSU will have one of those games this yr. This is my main beef w/ Boise State and other non Big-6 conferences. They can play their off game against the lower tier of their conference and still easily win week-to-week.
October 11th, 2010 at 11:49 AM ^
I could definitely see NW catching them looking ahead to Iowa and pulling an upset.
October 11th, 2010 at 2:04 PM ^
I think they'll lose 2 games still in Big Ten play. If not, I'll be really surprised.
October 11th, 2010 at 11:23 AM ^
The more they win, the better we look for losing to them. So I hope it goes well for them, so that we can in turn be benefitted.
October 11th, 2010 at 11:29 AM ^
I will never understand this attitude. I hope Sparty losses every game they play and I feel the same about OSU. Who gives a crap if our loss "looks better"? We aren't playing for an NC. For better or worse, our record will speak for itself
October 11th, 2010 at 11:33 AM ^
I wouldn't say I want them to lose every game. I fully support their continued mediocrity.
October 11th, 2010 at 11:34 AM ^
We'll look bad enough after a 6-6 finish, it won't matter what Sparty's final record is.
October 11th, 2010 at 1:17 PM ^
I think you may have dropped this: /s
October 11th, 2010 at 1:20 PM ^
Hope you're not right.
October 13th, 2010 at 4:05 PM ^
just curious, which 5 teams are we going to lose to?
October 11th, 2010 at 11:37 AM ^
The idea is that if you have to lose (or already lost), you'd want to lose to a "good" team as opposed to a team that sucks... I think it's a mentality leftover from the pre-BCS college football era where who you lost to mattered almost as much as who you beat. Personally, if I have to lose a game, I'd rather lose to a team that goes undefeated than lose to a team that goes 1-11, but that's just me.
October 11th, 2010 at 11:55 AM ^
As much as I hate losing to State, losing to an undefeated team is nothing to feel too bad about. I do, however, think that there's a good chance they will lose to Iowa.
On a different note, is PSU really that bad, or is Illinois going to have a decent season?
October 11th, 2010 at 1:03 PM ^
Please tell me you were kidding. I hope they go 6-6.
October 11th, 2010 at 10:50 PM ^
What is there to kid about? We lost to MSU; it's old news by now. Yes, it sucks and we all have bitter feelings, but it's over. So would you rather lose to a 7-5 State of a 11-1 State?
October 12th, 2010 at 9:58 AM ^
Because it might at least mean we have a better record than them. So they couldn't talk to much. Losing and have them be great? Insufferable.
October 11th, 2010 at 11:26 AM ^
Is this the last year the land grant trophy will be played for as the final game?
odd that it may be the only year it actually means anything
October 11th, 2010 at 11:27 AM ^
I think they actually get through with 1 loss. Unfortunately for them, 1 loss might be good enough for 3rd in the b10 depending on the Iowa/OSU game. Trap game this wekeend for them too. Illinois is a scary team.
October 11th, 2010 at 11:29 AM ^
Obviously, it looks better than any other Big Ten team at this moment (that's undefeated).
October 11th, 2010 at 11:29 AM ^
Which I believe is only OSU.
October 11th, 2010 at 11:28 AM ^
Illinois looks anything but a gimme now, Northwestern's offense will give them fits, Iowa is Iowa, they will probably beat Minny and Purdue. Penn State is dangerous because even though they look bad now they have the rest of the season to improve and play State at the end. State's offense isn't as good as it's being advertised as.
October 11th, 2010 at 11:33 AM ^
Illinois has MSU meltdown written all over it.
At Iowa certainly is going to be tough.
This is a sad day where we are now talking about if sparty is going to lose a game in a year.
October 11th, 2010 at 2:58 PM ^
I doubt it. Dantonio is 6-0 in the 2 weeks after the Michigan game during his coaching tenure.
October 11th, 2010 at 11:51 AM ^
looks like a decent team. They hung in there with OSU and thumped Penn State. Scheelhaase and Leshoure have the run game looking good.
October 11th, 2010 at 11:33 AM ^
I could not disagree more. We are not at a point to be thinking about rankings. What good does it do us if we are ranked 20 instead of 25? All that matters is the W/L column. It's not as if we are trying to earn a BCS at-large bid or something.
And the thought of anything good happening in East Lansing makes me sick.
EDIT: poop, meant to reply that to the post above.
October 11th, 2010 at 11:32 AM ^
I'm commenting only to say that I refuse to acknowledge a universe where this could happen.
October 11th, 2010 at 12:22 PM ^
We already live in a universe where we lost three in a row to them, and our b-ball team sucks pond water.
Pray for a dimensional shift.
October 11th, 2010 at 11:32 AM ^
This season lines up very nicely for them. Next year, not so much IIRC...Anyway, I'm going to be pulling hard for Iowa in a few weeks. The way I see it, either Iowa or MSU is going to end up in the Rose Bowl b/c OSU is going to play for the National Championship. Sparty in the Rose Bowl is not something a person should have to live with.
October 11th, 2010 at 11:36 AM ^
Doesn't the Rose bowl have to take BSU or TCU? I thought the b10 wasn't assured a bid anymore. I could be wrong.
October 11th, 2010 at 11:41 AM ^
I don't want to see MSU in any BCS bowl...Though there is a certain appeal to the thought of watching them be destroyed by Alabama or Oregon.
October 13th, 2010 at 4:12 PM ^
this would be the best outcome for our season assuming we win our bowl game
October 11th, 2010 at 12:02 PM ^
For that subject line.
October 11th, 2010 at 11:33 AM ^
a very big win Saturday vs Iowa and a Spartan loss to Iowa to make me feel a bit better about what happened this past Saturday.
October 11th, 2010 at 11:43 AM ^
That would be really nice to rebuild any lost confidence the team has from the state game. If we were a dumb interception away from upsetting Iowa last year without the true dilithium, who's to say we don't bury them this week at home? Granted our defense is in shambles but I think Martin will have a career day with at least three sacks and ten tackles.
October 11th, 2010 at 11:33 AM ^
Shit. I had to turn off the radio this morning when they discussed the possible 12-0 Spartans. WTF? Let's keep in mind that they just beat a team on pace to give up ~5400 yards over the course of the season. They also beat Florida Atlantic and Northern Montana. They are a good, but not great, team who benefits from one of the weakest schedules possible.
October 11th, 2010 at 11:47 AM ^
Northern Colorado
If you're going to bash, do it with correct facts
October 11th, 2010 at 11:51 AM ^
I got them mixed up with that other heavyweight, Montana St. Not sure if that makes a difference in terms of the opponent being good...but there it is.
October 11th, 2010 at 3:00 PM ^
And Wisconsin convincingly. Not to mention ND, but they kind of suck this year.
October 11th, 2010 at 11:34 AM ^
Iowa looks like the only team that could beat them.
Wish they played OSU this year.
October 11th, 2010 at 11:35 AM ^
Does anyone find it to be a coincidence that Dantonio decided to wait till this week to suspend Rucker? Let me guess...his alleged violation of unspecified team rules happened after the Michigan game.
October 11th, 2010 at 11:41 AM ^
Was thinking the same thing when I saw that.
October 11th, 2010 at 12:07 PM ^
I'm also wondering why that story isn't in the local papers. If nothing else, it merits the question of "when did the activity in question take place?"
October 11th, 2010 at 12:12 PM ^
...if only someone would start a thread on this exact topic...
October 13th, 2010 at 4:15 PM ^
there is one
October 11th, 2010 at 11:36 AM ^
I doubt Illinois can handle MSU but maybe Sparty has a letdown. But they're not going into Iowa and pulling that game out. I also think Penn State is a road game as well for them which won't be a win either.
They still beat an underachieving Wisky team and beating our secondary shouldn't be considered a huge feat. They're still beatable by anyone on the schedule with the exception of Purdue and possibly Minnesota.
October 11th, 2010 at 11:38 AM ^
... particularly against weaker opponents.
It is sort of ironic that State has never been higher in national rankings under Dantonio, but the two signature wins that moved them up in the rankings happened when he wasn't the head coach.
Hope Marky-Mark gets better soon, and returns to the sidelines. He can then resume his trademark scowl and pathetic pressers after a few horrible losses.
October 11th, 2010 at 11:43 AM ^
they will blow it. That is their MO. But that said, if they miraculously go undefeated...I hope OSU loses so Sparty wins the Big 10. That would annoy the buckeye fans, at least...
October 11th, 2010 at 11:45 AM ^
I see about 2 losses in there, personally. Iowa is an obvious tough game, and I think Iowa is probably a better team (though I've only seen a couple games from them) -- as long as their OL doesn't succumb to jetlag and hot temperatures like the travesty in Arizona.
But I look at NW, Purdue, and maybe Minn as possible upsets as well. MSU is a well-rounded, well-coached team but they aren't great. They beat a M team wrought with personnel issues, during Denard's first real test at QB... and we all know that they had been preparing just for that game since August. They're still Sparty, they'll still find ways to lose. It's in their nature.
October 11th, 2010 at 12:06 PM ^
and we all know that they had been preparing just for that game since August.
Very good point. The thing that bothers me about them is that they put all of their stregnth and focus into the Michigan game, and then leave it all on the table afterwards. Then they want to piss and moan about not getting any respect. IMO, if you want respect, put that shit together for a whole season for consecutive seasons, then maybe people outside of the state might take notice.
October 11th, 2010 at 2:17 PM ^
the hardest team on their schedule last week: Wisconsin.
Iowa will be a tough game and certainly a revenge game for what happened last year. I have no doubt that the team will come out with the same focus and intensity that they had on Saturday. The trap game that I see though is the NW game.