MSU FOOTBALL FRONT-BURNER: Part 5 - Neighborhood Bully/Feasting on Huskers - (ATownAndDown)

Our weekly feature on MSU Football brings diverse responses to
a variety of questions related to the Spartans program. 

Because of the significance MSU-UM Rivalry Game and bye week results,

This FRONT-BURNER is presented in multiple installments.

Part 1 (The Rivalry Game Aftermath & MSU Football All-Access Video on UM Game)
 Part 2 (Featuring ATownAndDown)
Part 3 (Featuring MSUSpartan76)
Part 4 (Featuring SpartanMan82)

(We encourage reader comments. Click the link at the bottom of the post.)

PART 5 (Featuring ATownAndDown)

1. Do you have any messages or suggestions for Spartan fans eager to chime in? How should Spartan fans "handle success"? How should Spartan fans interact with UM fans in social media or personally?

ATownAndDown (Follow him on M-Live)
Stay true to yourself. There is no reason to cheapen yourself to "get revenge" by rubbing it in the face of Michigan Man. Because guess what is going to happen next year... we are going to play U of M again and so it might be coming back on you. Look, running your mouth isn't going to accomplish anything. You are not going to convert Michigan Man from his fandom. You are not going to better the MSU program. You are just going to waste your breath (or time). You are better off spending time talking about more relevant things like next weekend.


2. It seems every year UM is "down", the Big Ten is viewed and being "down". This was the perception the last time MSU won the Rose Bowl and in Nick Saban's last year in East Lansing when the Spartans recorded victories over Notre Dame, Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State and Florida as well as during Mark Dantonio's most successful seasons. Can the media ever consider the Big Ten as having a strong year if UM or Ohio State is not ranked?

ATownAndDown (Follow him on M-Live)
The B1G is down. There is no debating that fact. But its all about the perception. In order to change the national perception you need to have elite teams that win premier games. You can't have a bunch of middle of the pack teams that can't compete in those premier bowl games but get a nice win here or there in the other bowl games (i.e. the #5 B1G team beat the #5 SEC team). As good as MSU was in 2010 and 2011 and as good as Wisconsin has been over the recent past, they are not on that elite level. Neither has had a season where we talked about NC hopes. OSU has been in that mix but has proven they might not deserve to be there with their efforts (and we are seeing that coming into play this year). U of M hasn't been in that mix since 2006. But in reality, outside of OSU and U of M, which B1G teams have that elite program status in the last decade or so? I think that has to do with the thought that the B1G is down because U of M is down. No one has stepped up to fill that vacancy. Look at the Big 12 with Oklahoma and Texas down. Baylor and OSU are having nice seasons but its still not the same perception of the conference. A lot of folks see that conference as behind the Pac 12 and maybe even the ACC because of that. In order to get past that perception of the conference being down because U of M being down, we need to put another elite team or two in the mix.


3. What would you like Spartan fans to know or consider about this Saturday's game in Lincoln?

ATownAndDown (Follow him on M-Live)

Consider this a must win game. A Nebraska win ties up the division with them and they have the tie breaker with only games @PSU and against Iowa left. Nebraska has not been overwhelming this year by any means but give them credit to put themselves in a position to get back the the B1G Championship game. I think there are few of us that think we should just roll out of Lincoln with a win but Nebraska is a team that has just found a way to get things done this year. Its not going to be easy and they are going to do everything to just get it done against us. Must win situation and funnier things have happened in college football.




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