So I can't help laughing at Sparty
Did they get the short end of the stick or what? Their cross rival is IU and their 2011 schedule is Brutal.
10/1: @OSU
10/8: Bye
10/15: Mich
10/22: Wisc
10/29: @Neb
11/5: Minn
11/12: @Iowa
11/19: IU
11/26: @NU
Oh and they play notre dame 2 weeks before OSU. Sucks to be out of title contention before november.
September 2nd, 2010 at 12:49 AM ^
Add in their semi-annual loss to a MAC team, and next year could be quite amusing.
September 2nd, 2010 at 12:54 AM ^
Wow i forgot their MAC rivalry so now here is their 7 week brutal schedule
September 2nd, 2010 at 9:29 AM ^
MSU-CMU is a good, competitive rivalry.
CMU will have a chance to tie the all time series at 4 wins a piece. (LOL)
September 2nd, 2010 at 7:26 AM ^
MSU loses to a MAC team every six months? Impressive.
To quote Inigo Montoya: "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."
September 2nd, 2010 at 8:14 AM ^
I think he means biennial.
September 2nd, 2010 at 12:55 AM ^
September 2nd, 2010 at 12:58 AM ^
What's with the bye week before playing us? They seem to get those before our matchup every so often. They also had the extra week to prepare for us in 04, 03 and 98. Yes, we beat them all 3 times but still, you shouldn't have a bye week before playing a rival.
September 2nd, 2010 at 12:59 AM ^
I'm pretty sure they play Central that week, not 9/24.
September 2nd, 2010 at 1:42 AM ^
I know imagine if we got a bye week before OSU every few years. If i was OSU i would be pissed haha
September 2nd, 2010 at 7:52 AM ^
sometimes you've just got to throw your little brother a bone...
in the long run, I'm not so worried about it. As you said, we've beaten them the last three times they had a bye week before us.
September 2nd, 2010 at 12:59 AM ^
10/1: @OSU L
10/8: Bye
10/15: Mich L
10/22: Wisc L
10/29: @Neb L
11/5: Minn W
11/12: @Iowa L
11/19: IU W
11/26: @NU W
that's pretty rough
September 2nd, 2010 at 1:06 AM ^
MSU has a 3-game losing streak against Minnesota currently and has a hard time beating them most of the time. That could very well be a loss.
September 2nd, 2010 at 1:17 AM ^
The gophers have beaten Sparty in 6 of their last 8 meetings.
September 2nd, 2010 at 12:39 PM ^
That is just classic Sparty.
How far back would we have to go to find Minnesota's last six wins against us? 60 years? 70?
September 2nd, 2010 at 9:30 AM ^
Northwestern as an automatic win for them.
September 2nd, 2010 at 1:44 PM ^
I wouldn't be surprised at all if their only win during that stretch was Indiana
September 2nd, 2010 at 1:03 AM ^
Michigan State fans will be talking about a 10-2 season being probable, and 12-0 being possible. It's been that way every year since the beginning of time.
In other words, lol Sparty.
September 2nd, 2010 at 1:11 AM ^
Yeah they really gave up a lot, it really shows you what the heirarchy of the Big Ten is. They say it's not the Big 2 Little 8 anymore but that is obviously fictional.
Guaranteeing a game against Indiana is not going to help them. Although they never had a choice or a chance. When you put all your eggs into one basket like they have (with Michigan being their biggest "rival") you fall hard when things don't swing your way.
We definitely dodged a bullet. I would much rather risk the chance of playing OSU twice a year than play MSU at the end of the year.
September 2nd, 2010 at 1:14 AM ^
Sucks to be out of title contention before November.
Meh . . . isn't that the case for them every year?
September 2nd, 2010 at 1:18 AM ^
haha true
September 2nd, 2010 at 1:43 AM ^
It also sucks to have a head coach who bears an uncanny resemblance to seasoned meat.
September 2nd, 2010 at 1:58 AM ^
before the trip to Nebraska
September 2nd, 2010 at 2:24 AM ^
had to pay for Michigan's good fortune.
To the extent players follow stuff like this, our guys have to be pumped up.
I checked for IU blog reaction and what little I found suggested they are peeved about division, upbeat about sparty as rival, and looking forward to further expansion.
September 2nd, 2010 at 2:50 AM ^
There is actually an IU football blog?
September 2nd, 2010 at 3:08 AM ^
I'm going to be a wet blanket. This is all well and good, but it seems a little premature, eh? Keep in mind that MSU could be trying for their fourth win against us in a row in 2011. Now, I think we can and will win this year. But I'm going to hold off on 2011 until we are least past the eve of 2010 if for no other reason than karma. But I'm the guy who bought a house, moved in the week before we lost to MSU and started our slide, and then seriously contemplated selling and moving back into an efficiency for 2010. My belief in the dark forces may be over the top.
September 2nd, 2010 at 4:24 AM ^
So assuming some alternate reality where they are for sure going to win 2011 matchup, they still are gonna get killed by everybody else
September 2nd, 2010 at 4:54 AM ^
would have burned the house down.
September 2nd, 2010 at 5:03 AM ^
After the last two seasons for Michigan, it seems a little silly to be poking fun at MSU for stuff like this...
September 2nd, 2010 at 6:46 AM ^
Poking fun at MSU is never silly.
September 2nd, 2010 at 7:05 AM ^
Yeah, well that's just like your opinion, man.
September 2nd, 2010 at 7:22 AM ^
How are we supposed to compete with Sparty and this recruiting magnet:?
DanTonyOh: Son, we like you a lot. We like you so much, we want to invite you to our big, annual rivalry game.................against Indiana.
Fail.
September 2nd, 2010 at 9:33 AM ^
BWAHAHAHAHA!!!!
September 2nd, 2010 at 9:38 AM ^
They can also claim annual rivalry games against Michigan, Nebraska, and Notre Dame.
But yeah... I did get a kick out of the Big Ten basically saying, "MSU, meet your new rival, Indiana. The perception around the conference is that you and Indiana are historically at the same level. Trying to force a rivalry between MSU and PSU was a mistake and, quite frankly, a slap in PSU's face. They deserve much better. Enjoy your new rivalry."
September 2nd, 2010 at 7:47 AM ^
MSU has it due. They have pulled the easiest conference schedule the in the Big Ten the last two years -- funny thing is, they are going to complain once they have a tough schedule.
September 2nd, 2010 at 7:47 AM ^
September 2nd, 2010 at 8:17 AM ^
Okay, but let's keep some perspective...
Dinardo was likely talking about teams that run it as their base offense.
Rodriguez was talking about teams that run it even for a few plays.
For example, 2007 Michigan didn't run a "spread offense" and Dinardo would have been correct in saying that. But Michigan did employ some spread tendencies, especially against UF in the Gator Bowl, so Rodriguez would have been correct, too.
The two statements are not necessarily contradictory.
September 2nd, 2010 at 8:31 AM ^
and it angered me to no end. I can't be the only person on the planet who said, "Oh sure. Of course, Lloyd. For the LAST game of your career, THAT's when you decide to open the play book."
September 2nd, 2010 at 10:29 AM ^
That was my exact response to the TV during the bowl game. I was so frustrated he waited to the end and then grateful he at least did it before riding off into the sunset.
September 2nd, 2010 at 8:35 AM ^
September 2nd, 2010 at 8:59 AM ^
I found it unbelievable that he thought "no one" runs the run option, when that is clearly the basis for U-M's offense if Denard is at QB."
Well, if he was basing his theory on last year's Denard Robinson-led drives, then he'd be right. The zone read option was almost completely (perhaps completely?) absent because Denard couldn't make the right read. The offense when Denard was in the game consisted of an occasional direct handoff, frequent ISQDs, and pass plays that ended with the other team catching the ball.
September 2nd, 2010 at 9:01 AM ^
You're correct, if he based his theory on last year's team. However, he's had a chance to see Michigan in practice this fall camp. He fawned all over DR after that. And still he doesn't think we run a read option?
September 2nd, 2010 at 9:14 AM ^
Maybe he knows (like I know) that David Cone has returned to practice and will be running the offense.
September 2nd, 2010 at 9:17 AM ^
More than 2 teams run the spread as their base. DiNardo needs to get a clue.. only UM and Northwestern?? Uhhh pretty sure Purdue does.. and how about Indiana? Does Indiana's shotgun pistol not count as a spread? Illinois certainly ran the spread with Juice. Penn State has been running a spread as of late certainly on more than 50% of their plays with Daryl Clark and now Robert Bolden/Paul Jones/Kevin Newsome. OSU with Pryor and Troy Smith runs a spread at least 40% of the time. Minnesota runs alot of spread formation. Michigan State, Iowa, and Wisconsin are really the only 3 schools in the conference that run a traditional offense the majority of the time.
September 2nd, 2010 at 9:26 AM ^
I wouldn't really count Indiana as a spread team. The pistol is different than the spread, and it's a lot like running an I-formation backfield. They also use their tight ends quite a bit.
I'm not sure what Illinois is going to look like, but their QB isn't exactly like Juice Williams this year.
OSU is sort of half-and-half, but I wouldn't say their base offense is the spread.
Minnesota went back to a more pro-style offense.
Like I said in an above post, DiNardo wasn't as far off as some of you think if you consider that he was likely talking about the "base offense" of most of these teams.
September 2nd, 2010 at 9:41 AM ^
He didn't say OSU ran the spread as their base set, he said "at least 40% of the time".
September 2nd, 2010 at 9:58 AM ^
I never said that he said OSU ran the spread as their base set.
Thanks for involving yourself in the conversation with that little tidbit, though.
September 2nd, 2010 at 11:08 AM ^
Thanks for replying, Magnus.
OSU is sort of half-and-half, but I wouldn't say their base offense is the spread.
September 2nd, 2010 at 11:19 AM ^
My implication was, "If I were Gerry DiNardo, I wouldn't say OSU's base offense is the spread."
Therefore, they probably shouldn't be listed in a list of "teams running the spread."
September 2nd, 2010 at 9:45 AM ^
So by your take OSU doesn't even have a base offense? If they run spread 45%, I 45%, and other formations 10% then what does that make their base offense?
And Indiana's Pistol is run like a form of a spread. Their best 2 playmakers are their wideouts and they use the formation to get them the ball.
And I can assure you Illinois is still running the spread offense.
Is Gerry DiNardo your dad? Why are you defending him when he is clearly wrong? AT WORST he needed to add Purdue and Illinois to the list, but Indiana, OSU, and PSU run the spread for a large enough part of the game to not push it aside like there are 2 big ten teams who run spread.
This isn't your dad's Big Ten. The myth that the Big Ten is this power conference needs to go by the wayside because it isn't that way anymore.