Week 8 Predictions and Notes

It's Friday now, and it's time to focus on one of the bigger games in college football this week, and not our Detroit Tigers going to the World Series (insert big smile here). Michigan currently holds an advantage over Michigan State by a record of 67-32-5 with the last 4 won by MSU. This year, that will change. The tide will turn.

I am confident that after Saturday's matchup that I can spend a year gloating over Sparty fans, and make them long for basketball season---in which we'll beat them there again. Michigan State still has a good defense, but their offense is woefully inept to the point where it's no longer reliable. Dantonio has painted himself into a corner this week by saying the media is at fault by goading him into making anti-Michigan comments. After this game, I'm sure that "evil" alter ego will emerge yet again.

Week 2 Notes With Updates On Tweeting MSU Players And Blake Countess

We are officially headed into Week 2 of the college football season. We have an idea on some teams, and others we're still wondering about. Here's a few things to keep in perspective:

1. Fitzgerald Toussaint and Frank Clark are back. I don't want the importance of this action to be overlooked. There were many Michigan fans who cried out when Fitz was suspended initially, and even more when Brady announced that he would be also suspended for the Alabama game. Now, did he make the right call? Absolutely. Even with the presence and skill of having Fitz on the field would not have changed the outcome of the game. If he had played one of two things might have happened. We might have had better field position of a couple of series, but still no points from it. Two, he might have been injured. Fitz comes into the Air Force game with a set of fresh legs, ready to take on their defense.

Hoke's Recruiting Impact...On MSU?

A lot has been made of the turnaround by Brady Hoke.  Michigan's 11-2 season, its Sugar Bowl victory, finally beating Ohio State.  The list seems like it go on for days.  One specific area that has received a lot of coverage is on the recruiting trail, where Hoke saved a class in 2011, built a very good class in 2012, and could potentially have the best class in the country in 2013.  This massive improvement has changed numerous things, but one thing that has largely been effected is the recruiting battle between Michigan and Michigan State.

Typically, I don't like to post too extensively on other teams, even if they are one of Michigan's rivals, but this has been a topic that has intrigued me, starting with the rumors of Rich Rod's recruiting strategy.  I had always thought Rich Rod did a pretty good job recruiting for Michigan, but there seemed to be a large faction that felt he "ignored" the state of Michigan.  In a post earlier this summer, I wasn't able to prove Rich Rod "ignored" the state of Michigan, but I was able to show that MSU drastically increased their success recruiting the state and probably had better hauls in the state than Michigan during Rich Rod's tenure.

Previewing Big Ten Football: Michigan State

2012 is going to be a a benchmark year for the Spartans, and many questions exist. Can they replace their star quarterback? Who is going to be catching the balls? How will William Gholston fare without Jerel Worthy? Not to mention, can Dantonio finally put the Spartans among the elite in the country?


2011 Record: 11-3, 7-1 Big Ten

Returning Starters: Offense – 4, Defense – 8

Does Winning Your State's Recruiting Really Matter?

Tyler is off this week so I'll be picking up the slack on the recruiting front for now.  I wanted to do something interesting and something that really shows the importance of recruiting on the football field.  I've already seen some posts analyzing Michigan vs Ohio State in terms of recruiting, so I wanted to take a look at how Michigan and MSU have compared.  Along with this, how has their recruiting timed up with performance on the field.

MSU has won the last four games against Michigan and next year is a big game, but how much of that can be linked to recruiting?  Since there are thousands of recruits in the country, I thought the best way to look at this is through a comparison of recruiting performance within the borders of Michigan.  A lot has been made of Lloyd Carr's "empty" closet and Rich Rodriguez's "failure" to recruit locally.  First, did these things actually exist and did they impact Michigan's in-state recruiting?  If they did, there's no doubt that it probably helped Mark Dantonio and MSU in their four game win streak.

2014 Prospect Drake Harris Chooses MSU Over Michigan

Michigan's most interesting 2014 prospect has decided he will attend MSU over his other finalists, Michigan and Notre Dame.  Harris announced these finalists earlier in the week along with his desire to play both college football and basketball.  He is one of the few athletes in the nation that is planning to play both sports at the next level, which made him extremely intriguing to college coaches and fans alike.  We actually debated his ability at both football and basketball before his decision, which is something that I'm sure Spartan fans will now engage in before Harris arrives on campus.

In some ways, this is a major loss for Michigan. The ability to have a 4* recruit on your basketball team without using a scholarship is a pretty major advantage.  Tom Izzo is probably getting the most talented walk-on in the nation for 2014.  That's a pretty big advantage for MSU and Michigan missed out on that chance.  Michigan's basketball recruiting is in fine shape, but I don't think anybody out there will deny that adding a 4* walk-on will probably help the Spartans pretty significantly.

Recent Struggles With the Spartans

Is anybody else getting sick and tired of losing to Michigan State? It has now been 4 years since the Wolverines got a win against the Spartans, and, especially after stopping a skid against Ohio State, this is a wound that just keeps getting bigger and bigger.

Besides winning the Big Ten, beating Michigan State is the only major accomplishment not under the belt of Brady Hoke. He knocked off Notre Dame, ended a 7-year slump against "Ohio", completely turned around the Michigan defense, and won a BCS bowl. Remember, that was all in his first year. A Big Ten Championship is not looking likely unless Michigan can finally beat their "little brother": the Spartans.

Little Brother Again

Michigan Stadium. The Big House. The very name imposes images on people that render them gaga. As Michigan fans, we are all aware of the stats and records that go with our stadium. 109,901 official seat capacitance.The "1" is always a seat for Fritz Crisler.  Over 200 sellouts. The largest crowd ever to see a football game was Michigan vs Notre Dame, Sept. 10th, 2011 with an attendance of 114,804. Yes, that was the "Under The Lights" game.

Why am I saying all this? Because it was recently written about in the Detroit Free Press that it's a good time to be a Spartan. They've had 5 straight bowl games, more wins over the last 4 seasons than in any other period in their history, including 4 straight wins over Michigan. Yet what makes me laugh the most above any other, is the fact that their AD Mark Hollis and Dantonio are proud of a another "victory" over Michigan. They're going to have a larger scoreboard than Michigan.

   
The final size of their project is immense. There will be 3 scoreboards total--2 on the north end and 1 on the south. There will also be a 450 ft long ribbon board that will run across the north end. All in all, this is a $10 million dollar project.

   
Yes, this scoreboard will be the fifth largest in the nation. But what Dantonio is most proud of is the fact that "it will be the largest in the state of Michigan." Really? I mean, really? This is what you're most proud of? Having a bigger scoreboard than we do at Michigan? Come brag to me when you have as many sellouts as Michigan does, and as large a capacity as Michigan does. Brag when you have the winningest college football program of all time. Brag to me when you bring in a recruiting class that's ranked number 1 in all the media world. Brag to me when you can do these things.

   
I suppose when it comes down to it, MSU will never win a national title when their foremost concerns lie squarely on beating Michigan at something. Yes, sometimes they talk about winning the Big Ten title and going to the Rose Bowl...but it's not something they strive for every year. They don't expect it every season like we do at Michigan.

   
Do I mind that they have a larger scoreboard than Michigan? Yeah, it kind of irks me a little. Kind of like that little itch you get on your arm that you forget about 5 minutes later. At Michigan, we're here to beat Ohio. Win Big Ten titles and go to the Rose Bowl, if not the national championship. We recruit at a much higher level. A championship level. At MSU? Larger scoreboard, smaller goals. Thanks again little brother!!