MSU crowd cheered the UM score vs. Nebraska

Submitted by gebe659 on

I was at Spartan Stadium, and the first time they showed the UM - Nebraska score, it was tied.  People just kinda whispered to each other.  The next time they showed the score, UM had a big lead and to my surprise, 90% of the people there cheered.  It was... weird and surprising.

It seems like the fanbase isn't quite as petty about its hate for UM as Dantonio is.  Or maybe winning is mellowing everyone in East Lansing.

WolverineHistorian

November 21st, 2011 at 10:11 AM ^

It's impossible to get as petty as Dantonio.  But don't give MSU fans more credit than they deserve.  This game was an exception.  They absolutely needed us to beat Nebraska on Saturday.  If we had lost, the Huskers would have easily been in perfect position to go to the Big Ten title game instead of Sparty with a home win over Iowa next week. 

If MSU had already had the conference title game wrapped up going in to their game Saturday, those cheers over our game would have been boo's.  The situation would have been the same if this year, they had looked like the MSU I have seen for the majority of my life - the team that loses 6 games and considers a toilet bowl a good conclusion to the season.

If the Spartan faithful had NOT cheered for our score on Saturday, they would literally be the dumbest fan base on the planet.

gebe659

November 21st, 2011 at 10:18 AM ^

" If we had lost, the Huskers would have easily been in perfect position to go to the Big Ten title game instead of Sparty with a home win over Iowa next week."

That's just not true.  MSU controlled its own destiny going into this past weekend.  MSU would've made the Big Ten title game with wins over Indiana and Northwestern.  Of course, they'd still have to go into Evanston and win, but MSU still would've controlled its own destiny with a Nebraska win over UM.

Gorgeous Borges

November 21st, 2011 at 10:20 AM ^

Actually, MSU didn't need us to win on Saturday. Going into Saturday, the Huskers had two Big 10 losses; one to Wisconsin and one to Northwestern. The Spartans' only Big 10 loss was to Nebraska, so Michigan State held a 1-game lead on Nebraska for the division race. Michigan beating Nebraska merely meant that Michigan State only had to beat one of Indiana and Northwestern to clinch the division title. Since they beat Indiana on Saturday, they've clinched the title.

Ahor

November 21st, 2011 at 10:23 AM ^

MSU only has one conference loss, Nebraska had two going into the game vs UM. State controlled their own destiny, all that our win meant was that they could lose to NW and still qualify. I wouldn't expect a Spartan fan to cheer for UM against Neb, though I think it would be foolish to root against us, I'd expect indifference. I don't think UM would cheer for OSU if it wasn't absolutely necessary, and for Sparty, our win was not absolutely necessary. I think it was more about the opportunity to clinch the division at home and celebrate on the field in EL, rather than on the road.

WolverineHistorian

November 21st, 2011 at 10:37 AM ^

You're right.  I should have worded that differently.  A Michigan loss last Saturday and an MSU loss next Saturday would have sent Nebraska to the conference title game (by beating Iowa) because the Huskers would own the tie breaker beating Sparty head to head. 

My main point remains.  The cheering shouldn't come as a surprise this one time. 

PeterKlima

November 21st, 2011 at 10:00 AM ^

.... the fans were not filled with die hard fans for the MSU/Indiana game.  Many people who consider themselves MSU fans over the years have grown accustomed to rooting for Michigan (in a state pride way).  I know that is the case versus OSU and in bowl games.

I get the sense from my MSU fans that they don't have that level of hate that comes from having high expectations year-in and year-out yet losing to another "high expctation" team year-in and year -out.  That is the type of thins that built up the OSU/UM hatred.  Two great teams exchanging blows.

Most MSU fans appear to be happy that Dantonio has made them into a solid B10 program.  They don't have high expectations (yet) and they have not faced a solid Michigan team yet (the closest thing was what the UM team looked like earlier this year).

In other words, the hatred is not there.  Michigan has not taken anything away from MSU during the Dantonio era, so why hate?

In other words, I am not surprised.

PeterKlima

November 21st, 2011 at 10:33 AM ^

...but the people I know are "just happy MSU is doing well."  They don't care about UM doing poorly because they are not at the level of fandom where you root against another team unless that team has really wronged your team somehow.

I suppose in their minds, MSU has never had a really good team that was beat by Michigan.  They have only beat the recent "hapless" Michigan teams.  Iowa has done the same thing and you don't see a rivalry growing there.  When UM beat MSU, they were not very good (for decades and decades).  When MSU got good, UM decided to start losing to everybody.

Maybe my MSU friends are acting like UM apologists, but I think they all see this as a time for them to enjoy UM's downturn...they don't seem to expect it to last.  (Maybe they are just more honest with themselves than MSU slappy fans?)

 

Mr. Rager

November 21st, 2011 at 9:59 AM ^

I was an out-of-state Mich student, so I don't understand the rivalry as well as in-staters.  

However, I don't think ANY fanbase, let alone MSU, is dumb enough to root AGAINST clinching a spot in their conference title game.  Regardless of how they get there.  I mean, it goes against human nature.

Mr. Rager

November 21st, 2011 at 10:34 AM ^

Really?  I've been rooting for Michigan for over 10 years now and I would rank the biggest a-hole fanbases in the B1G as such:

1)  Wisconsin

2)  Sparty

3)  OSU

Also, it sounds like from the OP that 90% of the crowd was cheering Nebraska losing to us.  Doesn't sound like a fanbase of 70% moronic assholes.

unWavering

November 21st, 2011 at 10:43 AM ^

Wait, so you're saying that MSU isn't that bad, but rank them 2nd in the biggest a-hole fanbases? 

To be clear, I was exaggerating, but the Sparties are getting to be insufferable due to our losing streak.  They were pretty bad when I was there in 2009, and if half of what I've heard about this year is true, they are up there in the classless idiot rankings.

WolverineLake

November 21st, 2011 at 2:12 PM ^

  So, you've like BEEN to Columbus, right?  I mean, you don't even have to be there on a game day to fear for your life.  Game day, especially when something is on the line, is quite a bit more terrifying that the average day ... which, again, is already hostile.

 

  I don't see how you could say that Wisconsin has more assholes than E. Lansing or Columbus.  

MGoSoftball

November 21st, 2011 at 10:10 AM ^

as an in-state student and life-long (40+) resident, the so-called rivalry is one sided.  I really dont care if Moo U leaves the B1G and goes to Big East and we never play them again.

We have won every recruit (save one) that we both offered and he probably will not make the grades for Moo U either.  So the hate is really on them.  I dont care any more about them as I do EMU, WMU, or CMU.  I just want to win every game.  I would prefer to drop Moo U and add another B1G team anyway.

bronxblue

November 21st, 2011 at 10:23 AM ^

What you didn't mention was that right below that score was an add for Chico's Bail Bonds + $5 off a Blu-Ray copy of 300 with your ticket.  They didn't even read the score.