Rooting Conundrum - MSU or ND??

Submitted by HeismanPose on

So ND plays MSU in East Lansing on saturday night and I don't thnk I've ever had such a hard time figuring out who to root for.  We play both teams, so head-to-head is a wash.  Thought process, in bullet form:

Pros of Rooting for MSU:

  • Big Ten Pride.
  • Gives us the opportunity to ruin their undefeated season.
  • ND loses two in a row, on national television, has legit chance to start the year 1-4.  HAHA ND we hate you.

Pros of rooting for ND:

  • They have a better shot than MSU at finishing the year with a good record/national ranking, which would help us in the long run.
  • Would give us an extra boost of confidence to see a team we just beat go on the road and win.
  • MSU loses at home on national television. HAHA MSU we hate you.

Thoughts?  I'm leaning towards rooting against MSU, just because I hate Dantonio.

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Johnnybee123

September 16th, 2010 at 4:43 PM ^

Simple.  Root for ND just like you are rooting for UConn.  If both of those teams have success early in the season, our hype (and the Shoelace hype) becomes more legit.  Plus, an ND team having early success in the season is more likely to shoot up the rankings than MSU, which in turn, makes us look good.

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BlockM

September 16th, 2010 at 4:43 PM ^

Notre Dame please. Every once in a while I like to mosey on over to the RCMB just to see what's happenin'. A loss would make that so much more entertaining.

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UMich87

September 16th, 2010 at 9:58 PM ^

If ND wins, their fans will instantly get over the Michigan loss and recommence swaggering.  If MSU wins, they will immediately start yapping about how they will destroy us.  I like it better when they return to their annual soul-searching for answers to their football mediocrity.  Let it begin now.  I would rather be the third team to beat them this year.

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RoseBowlBound

September 16th, 2010 at 4:50 PM ^

ND blowing the doors off of State would be preferable to almost any other scenario.

-Validates our win vs. ND on the road

-Crushing home loss for State before a VERY easy Big 10 schedule could cause them to have 6-6 season which would be a huge disappointment in their eyes.

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NateVolk

September 16th, 2010 at 4:53 PM ^

MSU.  Beating them on the 9th when they are unblemished would be a bigger deal. 

MSU is the most important game of the year in my mind.  So naturally I'd want them at their peak confidence. 

Despite some early success, I can't help but get this feeling that Dantonio's plan long term for that program is just like all the others preceeding him with a different name. Like this classic Wendy's ad. 

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CaMUfxVJVQ

 

 

But early October would be a great time to show them where we are heading and what they'll be missing for once again hiring on the cheap.

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NateVolk

September 16th, 2010 at 6:42 PM ^

LOL. Awesome.

MSU, especially Dantonio, has gotten under the skin of a lot of Michigan fans. Way whole other topic for game week. Every time you see MSU in a thread title on here it is always one of the top post volumes. That is indicative of something under our hoods.

Personally, another year of hearing them talk about their win streak and nonsense of how they are establishing dominance is too much to bear. Plus I am surrounded by them and I don't have any practical way to avoid Sparty fan in my position.

Not that I don't try.

We need a win in that one to get the collective fan base groove back. Then we can go back to talking about how OSU, ND and now Nebraska are bigger games.

But full Sparty cocky for October 9, means winning Saturday. So go State.

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jmblue

September 16th, 2010 at 7:08 PM ^

I don't want MSU to be undefeated when we play them.  This year, I want them to lose whenever possible.  It's not so much out of hatred as that I think it's better for our program for that to happen.  As we try to re-establish ourselves in-state I think it's very important for us to post a better record than them.  Given their crappy schedule, it's possible that they could match or exceed our record even if we beat them.  I don't want them crowing to recruits that they're our peer. 

I'd be perfectly happy for State to limp into town in disarray, as they did in 2002.  I don't care if isn't a big game.  We have enough of those.

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PurpleStuff

September 16th, 2010 at 4:55 PM ^

State is zero threat to us, in the short term or the long term.  Beating them will only be that much sweeter if they come in cocky after beating the Irish.

The media will always give us credit for beating ND, no matter how shitty a team they have (Carson Palmer won a Heisman thanks in part to this phenomenon and Toby Gerhart almost got one last year). 

This is the chance to step on ND's throat before the Kelly era can get off the ground.  If they start out 1-2 or 1-3, people will start looking much more fondly on the fat man and the chubby man will have a hard time convincing recruits that he is the answer in South Bend.

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jmblue

September 16th, 2010 at 7:15 PM ^

The top recruit in the state this year is committed to them.  Last year they landed either the #1 or #2 recruit, depending on how you rank Gardner/Gholston.  I agree that MSU will probably never become a power, but that's not really the issue.  They can become just good enough to hurt us in recruiting, which can hurt our ability to compete against the likes of OSU.  Under normal circumstances, we get anyone in-state we want.  That's not the case at the moment, and it's a concern.  Even though we recruit nationally, it still helps to be able to lock up our state when it produces good players. 

ND, meanwhile, is recruiting as well as they always have, and probably always will.  I don't think a couple losses here and there will affect them.  Even when Weis was on the hot seat he delivered in recruiting.  They have considerably less to gain from this game than MSU does.

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HartAttack20

September 16th, 2010 at 4:56 PM ^

Every year when these teams meet I always root for them to both look terrible. I'm hoping that Notre Dame squeaks out the win in embarassing fashion on a safety or something.

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RowoneEndzone

September 16th, 2010 at 4:57 PM ^

The more I read comments on this post the more I realized I really don't like the question.  It's like asking me to choose between saving Hitler or Saddam if they were drowning.  Now matter who you choose your still going to throw up all over the place when its over.

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Hail-Storm

September 16th, 2010 at 5:08 PM ^

It'd be great for them to do well and give us some legitimacy. State plays Wisconsin right before us, so there is very little chance they are undefeated anyway.  I say root for ND and then we get to put Dantonio at .500 and watch as they have their October colapse.

Also, there is a crazy chance that we could face 4 BCS bowl teams. Crazy as it sounds;

2 from Big Ten (if we happen to not make one ourselves)

UConn can win the Big East

ND looks better than we thought, and USC looks like they are ripe for the taking so there is a chance thay win enough to put them in.

4 BCS bowl teams, makes us look way more legit.

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South Lyon Sparty

September 16th, 2010 at 10:27 PM ^

...as much as you would like to see one.

If State beats ND, and I say "if" because it will be a good game... they always play Wisconsin tough at home.  So, to say "very little" chance of being undefeated is a stretch.  Beat ND, tune up with Northern Colorado... and you have a toss up game with the Badgers in my opinion.

Either way, win or lose versus Wisconsin, MSU will be up for the Michigan game.  Guarantee it.

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Tater

September 16th, 2010 at 5:16 PM ^

ND and Michigan are very close in talent this year.  Denard may be the main difference.  So, it would bode well for Michigan if ND beat MSU, say, 35-10 or so. 

Since MSU is probably the same as Purdue and better than Indiana or Illinois, it would bode well for Michigan in the most crucial games of the Big Ten schedule: the ones that could produce eight wins before playing the tough teams.   

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switch26

September 16th, 2010 at 5:28 PM ^

When i saw shlebach(sp)? or whatever his name is on ESPN today talk about how MSU could be a Big Name killer this year i want them to lose as much as possible..

 

The fact that he did no research on what the team has done so far this year and went as far as saying Cousins has  total control of this offense right now and is 1000% improved in his passing. lol

 

I hate MSU and their fans, so they need to lose at home.

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diehardalum

September 16th, 2010 at 5:58 PM ^

but I'm gonna have to root for Notre Dame over Michigan State because ultimately it is better for Michigan.  Not to mention on a side note, I kinda like Brian Kelly, being an ex GVSU coach and I can't effin stand Dantonio.  How's that clock coming Dantonio?   GO BLUE!!

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KJ

September 16th, 2010 at 5:58 PM ^

I don't know about you guys, but I usually root for my little brother to succeed in any battle, except when I am the opponent.

And my little brother can be somewhat ignorant and naive at times, but nowhere near as obnoxious as my pompous Irish cousin.

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08mms

September 16th, 2010 at 6:25 PM ^

When in doubt, go Big10.  Besides, I see ND as a more legitimate recruiting threat %90 of the time, so I'd rather their record always be tarnished.

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El Jeffe

September 16th, 2010 at 6:56 PM ^

I really think you have to go with ND on this one. Let's not forget that beating MSU (and Purdue, Indiana, and Illinois) is a very important part of going at least 8-4, and we need that to happen. So, we need ND and Wiscy beatdowns (assuming they don't cough up a Sparty NOOOOOO!!!!!!! moment vs. Northern Colorado) to rattle them.

I'm less concerned with how our ND victory looks, since (1) if we win 'em all it won't matter whom our opponents beat, and (2) if we go 8-4 or 9-3 we won't be ranked very highly anyway, so it won't really matter whom our opponents beat. This ain't the NCAA hoops tournament, after all. 

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Skunkeye

September 16th, 2010 at 7:09 PM ^

Simple logic.

A Domer thinks his season is ruined with one loss so the job is done.

Sparty still thinks they are good with a winning record so we need the cascade of losses to begin now.

Hence we must root for ND so that both can be unhappy.

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dahblue

September 16th, 2010 at 10:46 PM ^

Wait...Are you talking about your coach who rooted against his own team's interest just so that he could root against Michigan?  Are you talking about your coach who publicly trashed Michigan and then complained when a Michigan Man responded?  Are you talking about your coach who continued the trash talking with a student athlete at another school all while complaining about trash talking?  That's a class act you've got there. 

More importantly, are you talking about the coach whose head is going to explode after Michigan hangs 40 on him in a few weeks?

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M-Wolverine

September 16th, 2010 at 10:55 PM ^

And Sparty always seems to forget that Dantonio fired the first shots with "moments of silence" and shit. And then get outraged when a Michigan PLAYER waits to do his talking after they've actually won, in return for all their coach has said and done. Then idolizes a grown man who will get in a pissing match with a kid, not something a Michigan coach would do. But class and Spartan don't exactly go hand-in-hand.

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