MSU FOOTBALL FRONT BURNER: Rose Bowl Pre-Game Edition

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

Front-Burner was be published in three parts between the B1G Championship and the Rose Bowl

Part 1. B1G Championship Game Discussion
Part 2. MSU 2013 Season Discussion
           2A. ATownAndDown Feature
           2B. MSUSpartan76 Feature
Part 3. Rose Bowl Discussion (This Edition)

Panelists:

ATownAndDown (Follow A-Town on M-Live)

MSUSpartan76 (Follow '76 on M-Live)
SpartanMan82 (Tale of Two Programs, By SM82)
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Part 3 Discussion Questions (Readers COMMENT below the post.)

1. Does seeing the chUMps get spanked by a 7-5 Kansas State team in the BWW Bowl take anything away from the dominating win the Spartans notched against them this year?

2. To beat Ohio State, Connor Cook had to play the game of his life. What are the Spartans chances if he just has an average game against Stanford? How does the loss of Max Bullough factor in your answer?

3. I felt that Spartans "been there before" would help them in the B1G Championship Game. The shoe is now on the other foot as Stanford knows this Rose Bowl Week spectacle very well. Added in with other intangibles like time zone, travel, warm weather would you consider a win at the Rose Bowl a bigger upset than beating Ohio State? Why?

4. What are the chances that Stanford wins and it's not even close? How about the idea that MSU wins and it's not even close; more or less likely than Stanford winning by a wide margin?

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Panelist Responses

1. Does seeing the chUMps get spanked by a 7-5 Kansas State team in the BWW Bowl take anything away from the dominating win the Spartans notched against them this year?

SpartanMan82 (Tale of Two Programs, By SM82)
No, not at all, just check the record. Michigan was 6-1 when they met Michigan State in Spartan Stadium, and since that game, UM could only win one more time, in triple-overtime. MSU also gave them their worst loss of the season.

The Spartans crushed the Wolverines, in one game destroying their entire season. Kansas State was just the team that happened to draw them in the bowl game, and dispatched them accordingly.

Every team that played Michigan after November 2 had a clear "green-print" for how to pound on the Bluebloods. The KSU win was a validation of the November 2 doomsday game for UM, along with all of their other losses along the way.

ATownAndDown (Follow A-Town on M-Live)

Not at all. Bowl games are fickle creatures. There is so much that can impact the outcome that to read too far into the tea leaves is silly. When MSU faced U of M earlier this year they were a different team than the one that showed up to the bowl game. They had a starting QB and still had hopes of winning the division. You saw them stumble hard down the stretch and even saw the desperation of Hoke and Co. to spark something by going for 2 instead of tying the OSU game late. Not getting those 2 points and losing their starting QB really took the wind out of a defeated U of M team's sails by the time they faced KSU.

Since we are on the subject here is a fun factoid for you: RichRod's records at U of M were 3-9; 5-7; and 7-6 and he was fired. Hoke has gone 11-2; 8-5; and 7-6 but the Michigan Men are only at a dull roar about firing him. It would appear that RichRod was trending up and lost his job and Hoke is trending down off of what RichRod built but not a lot of folks speaking up. U of M has talent but Hoke is going to have to fall into something to have success with how fast he lost control of this team.

MSUSpartan76 (Follow '76 on M-Live)

Michigan who? The bar for Michigan State is set way much higher than just merely beating UolM. Also, that game was expected. It was predicted in this post: The Fall of UolM. The Spartans exposed UolM for what it was, something the media is just no catching on to. So, no. The KSU loss in the wings bowl was just another progression in the downward spiral.

A chUMp posted on MLive.com the following (refers to UolM wins versus MSU):
1970s 9-1
1980s 8-2
1990s 6-4
2000s 7-3
2010s 1-3

I think the trend line is obvious in that data. It does deliberately mask the 5-2 record Coach Dantonio owns and the 1-2 record owned by the chUMp coach.

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Insert by Retrun to Glory, M-Live poster, RosesAreGreen responded to the chUMp's post and others like it with the following:
RosesAreGreen
TO ALL MICHIGAN FANS WHO HAVE POSTED BELOW:

UM has one 12 win season and 2 11 win seasons since 1986.
MSU has one 12 win season and 2 11 win seasons since 2009.
Michigan HAS NEVER had back to back 11 win seasons.
Michigan HAS NEVER won 13 games in a season as MSU has a chance to do vs. Stanford.
UM's cycle of continuous improvement vs. MSU since the Wolvies last Big 10 championship season in football (10 years and counting....)

2004 - 45 points
2005 - 34 points
2006 - 31 points
2007 - 28 points
2008 - 21 points
2009 - 20 points
2010 - 17 points
2011 - 14 points
2012 - 12 points
2013 - 6 points

Hoke's 3 teams have been outscored by MSU 67-32 (minus 35)
Rich Rod's 3 teams were outscored by MSU 95-58 (minus 37)

That's progress!!! Keep up the good work!

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2. To beat Ohio State, Connor Cook had to play the game of his life. What are the Spartans chances if he just has an average game against Stanford? How does the loss of Max Bullough factor in your answer?

MSUSpartan76 (Follow '76 on M-Live)

To beat Ohio State? Certainly Connor Cook had a career game and certainly that was a significant contribution, but I do not believe it was the passing yards and much as it was the resilience of the team that ultimately got the win.

Connor Cook will have the best game he can, come 5:00 pm (EST) on 1/1/14. We are fortunate that the Cardinal pass defense is not the best the Spartans have faced this season. Statistically, it is only marginally better than tO$U, which makes it the 11th best faced this season. tO$U, IU, Northwestern are ranked lower. The Stanford pass defense, statistically, is comparable to Youngstown State. Just as a point of reference.

Max? Max will be on the field in spirit. You can count on that.

ATownAndDown (Follow A-Town on M-Live)

I think calling it the "game of his life" is a bit a of a stretch. From a QB rating stand point it was his 5th best game of the season against a defense that ranked 11th in the B1G in passing yards allowed and 9th in the B1G in QB rating allowed. It was a solid performance on a big stage which is always good to see a guy not buckle under pressure. With that said, I am firmly in the mindset that with Bullough suspended everyone else (coaches, offense and defense) need to step their game up that much. Cook needs have another solid performance and maybe even better than B1G Championship Game. The offense needs to sustain drives to give the defense a rest from Stanford's physical offense. The offense might have to put a few extra points on the board. The offense also needs to not turn the ball over and give Stanford extra shots at the defense. Cook is integral to those things and I think giving extra opportunities to Stanford is going to be a bad thing.

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3. I felt that Spartans "been there before" would help them in the B1G Championship Game. The shoe is now on the other foot as Stanford knows this Rose Bowl Week spectacle very well. Added in with other intangibles like time zone, travel, warm weather would you consider a win at the Rose Bowl a bigger upset than beating Ohio State? Why?

ATownAndDown (Follow A-Town on M-Live)

I don't know if it will be a bigger upset. I mean it was more than OSU folks that were banking on that win. There were businesses marketing travel stuff to OSU fans to the National Championship Game even before they played us. But as far as statements go, it will be big. MSU is stepping into the heart of Pac 12 country to play a team that is highly rated and used to the atmosphere. ESPN has been pushing the 100th Rose Bowl too so there will be a lot of eyes on this one. Also, its one thing to beat the team that is perceived to be the cream of the weak B1G and its another to beat a team that is perceived to be the cream of the Pac 12. So while you are not stopping a 2 year undefeated streak and ending a teams National Championship dreams, you are still making a statement that we are legit.

MSUSpartan76 (Follow '76 on M-Live)

Well, yea, there is that big parade and Disneyland and warm weather, but the boys in green have been faced with distractions many times now. It's not like this is their first trip out of State and it certainly is not like this is their first bowl game. Would I consider it a bigger upset? To start with, I predicted the MSU win over OSU and I have predicted a MSU win over Stanford so I really can not answer this question in the context of an upset.

But it certainly will be the sweeter victory.

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4. What are the chances that Stanford wins and it's not even close? How about the idea that MSU wins and it's not even close; more or less likely than Stanford winning by a wide margin?

MSUSpartan76 (Follow '76 on M-Live)

Stanford 24 versus Michigan State 35

ATownAndDown (Follow A-Town on M-Live)
Neither team is known for running away from opponents. Both teams have only 4 wins this season of 20 points or more. Both teams also like to play a physical running offense and when they can get a lead in the second half that running game gets stronger. Defenses start to wear down and the clock starts to run down. Opponents become one dimensional and your pass rushers start pinning their ears back. So neither team runs away in the scoring column because they limit their own opportunities with this style. But because of the way they play a 10 point lead can seem like a 20 point lead.

I don't think either team opens up a large margin. I think MSU getting out to a lead early is going to help. The loss of Bullough is big because of the number of facets it impacts. Replacing a 6-4, 250 lbs guy in the middle with a 6-1, 225 is going to mean that guy is going to wear down faster than Bullough against a relentless rushing attack. If we can get Stanford in a position where they can't run as often as they would like that is going to save that guy. And if that guy in the middle can't hold up alone and needs support, Stanford has smart enough coaches to attack where those guys are supposed to be.

In my opinion, that is the linchpin for the entire game: what does MSU have to do to take pressure off that position? If the offense can get out and put some pressure on Stanford to try and move the ball down the field quicker that is one way. If Narduzzi can out chess match Stanford's attack so they are chasing holes and weaknesses that are not there any more that is another. Heck if the combo of Elsworth and Harris can somehow hold up over 60 minutes of pounding that works too. But if Stanford can attack where it wants to attack and pick up chuck yards, they will take advantage of that all day. Look at what they did against Oregon: 66 rushes and 13 passes. That is their goal and we need to figure out how to not allow it.

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A TALE OF TWO PROGRAMS: BULLOUGH SITS AT HOME WHILE LEWAN SUITS UP TO PLAY

Let's face it, you were brought up to believe that the University of Michigan was a "better place", weren't you? Weren't we all? The mainstream media certainly bought the story and have been delivering it for decades. Mighty Meechigan can do no wrong.

But things have changed since Gerald Ford was President. Michigan State University has grown up very nicely. The largest state-funded university in Michigan has moved into the top spot of several key measurements, very often including sports.

Today, we have a case study of two different approaches to accountability and consequences with Max Bullough of MSU and Taylor Lewan of Michigan.

Lewan has behaved like a sacrosanct diva for his whole career, committing scores of uncalled penalties for years, while running his mouth like a beer spigot in a factory bar right after shift change. He seems willing to say, or perhaps do, anything at any time in order to maintain an audience and get his way. He ignored the rule book against the Spartans on November 2, grabbing and twisting and stomping to his heart's content, and not getting called for anything. Then he apologized after the game for his misbehavior.

Now Lewan is under investigation by the Ann Arbor police department for kicking some Buckeyes around on the street after getting roughed up by the Buckeyes on the field earlier in the day. Problem is, these guys were just guys, not wearing uniforms and helmets, just sweatshirts and hats. The inside story on this incident identified Lewan clearly, and noted how the local cops were trying to protect the big guy from getting caught.

Lewan should have been flagged for numerous penalties in Spartan Stadium. Absent that, he should have been suspended by the school or the conference after the game. Now he is under police scrutiny for an assault that was committed only a few weeks ago. Michigan Coach Brady Hoke has done nothing to Lewan, and he even went out of his way to announce that Lewan would definitely be playing in the bowl game. After all, it's the last game of his storied college career.

Meanwhile, Max Bullough has been effectively kicked off the MSU team, for a transgression that we don't even know about. Since we all don't know what mistake Bullough made, we also wouldn't know about it if Bullough hadn't been suspended. In other words, to this point, Mark Dantonio was not forced into doing anything against Max Bullough because nobody knows what he did that was wrong. This was a crystal-clear chance for Dantonio to do nothing, a free pass to just protect his star player at least until after the bowl game. After all, it would be the last game of his storied college career.

But we all know that Bullough has been harshly sentenced to a shameful penitence, for a crime that has yet to be reported. It's an unthinkable scenario in a league that props up the old schools for protecting their big boys from the long arm of the law, at places like Columbus, Happy Valley, and Ann Arbor. We will one day learn what Bullough did - - - or didn't do - - - but that knowledge will almost certainly come after the Rose Bowl game is over on January 1.

Dantonio chose the hard road, enforcing team discipline as a major value over the immediate need to win a game. He walks this path alone, surrounded by peers who save their own skins at every turn, ignoring ethics and morals and values and standards like so many predators on the hunt for fresh meat. He left his most beloved player behind, as a way of stating that the team is more important than any player.

Will this rock-hard lesson in tough love and standards-based leadership be recognized for what it is, a man of power standing up for principles during the greatest moment of his competitive career? Will the clown who coaches UM football ever be held up for what he really is, and compared unfavorably to his in-state counterpart?

Does it really matter that much who wins these bowl games? The biggest plays have already been made by the coaches.




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The Rose Bowl: Spartans Time To Change The College Football Landscape

Spartan fans need to stop settling for being just being better than mediocre. It is becoming almost epidemic leading up to this Rose Bowl.  There have been a number of us that just want to “enjoy the moment” of reaching the Rose Bowl or those that believe a 12-1 season with a B1G Championship and Rose Bowl are more important than a basketball National Championship.  How can we as a fan base ask everyone else to change their perception of the Spartan Football Program if we can’t even change our own?

I wrote about this prior to the B1G Championship Game.  If you want the rest of the college football world to give you the benefit of the doubt or to get selected to the more respected bowl, you have to win.  And then go out and win again. And again.

Well we did it.  Not only did we go out with the eyes of college football on us and beat the #2 team in the nation but we did so in an impressive manner.  There are those among us that are content now. They are “enjoying the moment” if you will. Now don’t get me wrong: I am ecstatic with the win over OSU.  Absolutely love it. But I am not content. Heck the season is not even over yet!

The win over OSU is going to mean a lot less if we go and get our heads kicked in by Stanford. And God forbid OSU gets pounded by Clemson too. Suddenly that national perception is knocked back to the Stone Age.  

Let’s skip ahead and say we beat Stanford. Does that mean we have arrived?  Everything is all good? In my opinion, there is still work to do.  Iowa won the Orange Bowl in 2009.  The following year Penn State was selected to the Outback Bowl over Iowa, despite Iowa winning the head-to-head battle.  The perception of Iowa remains the same today: a decent program that can put together a magical season every now and again. It takes more than one good season to change the perception of your program.

Those that would take this season (plus a Rose Bowl victory) over a National Title in basketball show why there is a difference between the perception of our basketball program (which is undeniably respected on a national level) and our football program. Look no further than the 2011-2012 basketball season for the proof of this. That year we started off unranked and eventually finished with a share of the B1G regular season, won the B1G Tourney and made it to the Sweet 16.  And yet look at how many of us were disappointed with that outcome because we fell short of the Final Four and ultimately a National Championship.

Now this year the results of the football team are about on par with that basketball season. Unranked to start. Ended up winning the division. Won the B1G Championship. If we beat Stanford we will have some success in the postseason too.  And we are satisfied with that? Are we just that jaded by the success in basketball or are we not demanding enough in football?

Take a second to think about which B1G teams are on that national level that we want to be. Which B1G teams get the respect we want? Ohio State. Wisconsin maybe. U of M’s brand props them up but they have slipped. Same for Nebraska.  And that’s it. But since 1998 when the BCS system was instituted, only Minnesota, Northwestern, Indiana and Michigan State are the only B1G teams to not play in a BCS bowl.  Illinois has made multiple appearances and how do you feel the Illinois program looks nationally?  OSU, Wisconsin, U of M and Nebraska have a ton of appearance and even those 4 have their national perception issues (see OSU getting jumped this year despite not losing).  Being content with just making it to the Rose Bowl and not following up this season with another solid year isn’t going to be enough.

I love the success that we have had this year. It is great to point to 3 of the last 4 years with 11 or more wins.  But at the end of the day, I am still hungry. I still want more.  I want what Bama has because they are disappointed by their one loss season. I want what Texas has where they fire their coach who was one win away from a conference championship because they are not playing for National Championships.  I want the term “magical season” to morph into “that is MSU doing what MSU does.”

Those changes take time but we have another opportunity to make a statement in the Rose Bowl and then again against Oregon early next year. So here we are with a seat at the table. Let’s make some noise instead of just enjoying being here.

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TAYLOR LEWAN AUDITIONS FOR CAGE-FIGHTING CAREER AFTER FOOTBALL

Reports began surfacing during the last 24 hours that Michigan Football player Taylor Lewan may have carried his post-whistle punching habits to a new extreme after losing to Ohio STATE last month. Lewan allegedly beat-up some people in the streets of Ann Arbor sometime after midnight on November 30. The police report about the incident was filed on December 1.

There was definitely an incident, and local police are now confirming that Lewan was identified at the scene as the perpetrator of what the hospital report calls an "assault". The first reports were provided by the Buckeye version of "247sports", and you can read a detailed story about the event right here. This version gives a good sense of how official authorities in Ann Arbor work on a daily basis to cover up problems caused by UM athletes.

Now MLive has picked up the story, as it can no longer be ignored. Here is their report on the situation, absent many of the details provided by 247sports.

The Toledo Blade has also picked up the story, as has BleacherReport.

Lewan reportedly threatened to rape a college student at the University of Michigan if she pressed charges against teammate Brendan Gibbons for raping her in the first place. Some folks in Ann Arbor don't care for that type of behavior, and they have kept the story going at this website, including police reports and quotes from those involved.

Lewan is the same guy who claimed Michigan State "bullied" him in 2011, and vowed it would not happen again in 2013. During the game, he played as dirty as any player in college football history. Then after the game, he apologized for playing dirty and said he was "bullied" again by Sparty.

Taylor Lewan was given dishonorable mention as the "chUMp of the month" runner-up on this web site for November. He is now the leading candidate for top dishonors this month.




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MSU HOOPS: Valentine-Dawson Team Up With "Increda-dunk"

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Countdown To Roses - The Rose Bowl by the Numbers

This is an analyses of the Rose Bowl contenders, Stanford versus Michigan State.

Analyses of predictions for the 4 last games won by the Spartans had the following results:

MSU rushing yards: 2 of 4
MSU passing yards: 2 of 4
MSU scoring: 1 of 4
Opponent rushing yards: 1 of 4
Opponent passing yards: 1 of 4
Opponent scoring: 1 of 4

The prediction accuracy is 9 of 24. There were also 8 predictions that came very close to the game results.

The analysis assumes that the statistical performance applies to any future opponent. Although the data available is not "statistically significant," which means there are fewer than 100 data, it has proven in the prior games that this analysis may be relevant having successfully predicted 37.5% of performance metrics with another 33.3% coming very close.

The Winners were correctly predicted in 4 of 4 games. Margin of victory fell within prediction ranges in 3 of 4 games. The analyses and results are posted at:

OSU 24 vs MSU 34 (Post-Game)

MSU 41 at Nebraska 28 (Post-Game)

MSU 30 at Northwestern 6 (Post-Game)

Minnesota 3 at MSU 14 (Post-Game)

Now we look at the upcoming Rose Bowl -- the Pac-12 Champion Stanford (11-2) versus the B1G Ten Champion, Michigan St. (12-1).

MSU has faced 13 opponents with a composite record of 77-80 (0.4904). Stanford has faced 13 opponents with a composite record of 91-67 (0.5759). This will be the toughest game of the season for both teams.

There are those who will argue that Stanford's more competitive schedule proves something. It might, but that argument is countered by MSU defeating arguably the toughest team in both schedules, (then No. 2 and undefeated) OSU. Still, MSU's season numbers were versus a weaker slate of opponents. However, the analysis includes that by comparing performance metrics rather than just season data aggregate averages (aka NCAA season statistics).

NCAA Statistics

Stanford			Michigan State
OFFENSE	Rank	Value	DEFENSE	Rank	Value
Total yd/gm	65	413.1	Total yd/gm	1	248.2
Rush yd/gm	23	210.9	Rush yd/gm	1	80.8
Pass yd/gm	90	202.2	Pass yd/gm	6	167.4
Pass Eff.	17	154.3	Pass Eff.	2	91.5
Scoring pt/gm	39	33.2	Scoring pt/gm	4	12.7
3rd Down Conv. %	33	45.0	3rd Down Conv. %	12	32.4
4th Down Conv. %	19	64.3	4th Down Conv. %	62	51.6
1st Downs	45	272	1st Downs	77	259
Red Zone %	78	80.4	Red Zone %	19	74.4
DEFENSE	Rank	Value	OFFENSE	Rank	Value
Total yd/gm	14	339.0	Total yd/gm	82	384.6
Rush yd/gm	3	91.2	Rush yd/gm	51	182.2
Pass yd/gm	90	247.8	Pass yd/gm	89	202.5
Pass Eff.	48	122.5	Pass Eff.	68	128.0
Scoring pt/gm	10	18.6	Scoring pt/gm	61	29.8
3rd Down Conv. %	12	32.4	3rd Down Conv. %	33	45.0
4th Down Conv. %	62	51.6	4th Down Conv. %	19	64.3
1st Downs	77	259	1st Downs	45	272
Red Zone %	19	74.4	Red Zone %	78	80.4
MISC.	Rank	Value	MISC.	Rank	Value
Punt yd/rtn	T-51	8.9	Punt yd/p	29	38.3
Punt yd/p	42	37.8	Punt yd/rtn	41	10.1
Kickoff yd/rtn	1	27.8	Kickoff yd/rtn	99	19.2
TO/gm	67	-0.1	TO/gm	T-7	1.1
Penalties/gm	41	5.1	Penalties/gm	66	5.5
Penalty yd/gm	50	43.5	Penalty yd/gm	82	51.6
TOP	23	31:59	TOP	5	33:28

The simplistic look at the NCAA published statistics leads to the conclusions that teams are on par in all aspects except the Spartan pass defense has the advantage over the Cardinal passing attack. What we can expect is drama both ways in the rushing game, the Spartan passing game moving the ball normally and the Cardinal passing game being somewhat contained.

Key Matchups

Stanford rush O	210.9 yd/gm	MSU rush D	80.8 yd/gm
ave opponent D	168.6 yd/gm	ave opponent O	168.5 yd/gm
O performance	125.1%	D performance	48.0%
Stanford pass O	202.2 yd/gm	MSU pass D	167.4 yd/gm
ave opponent D	237.5 yd/gm	ave opponent O	220.3 yd/gm
O performance	85.1%	D performance	76.0%
Stanford scoring O	33.2 pt/gm	MSU scoring D	12.7 pt/gm
ave opponent D	28.4 pt/gm	ave opponent O	28.3 pt/gm
O performance	116.9%	D performance	44.9%
MSU rush O	182.2 yd/gm	Stanford rush D	91.2 yd/gm
ave opponent D	175.8 yd/gm	ave opponent O	176.7 yd/gm
O performance	103.6%	D performance	51.6%
MSU pass O	202.5 yd/gm	Stanford pass D	247.8 yd/gm
ave opponent D	225.8 yd/gm	ave opponent O	276.1 yd/gm
O performance	89.7%	D performance	89.8%
MSU scoring O	29.8 pt/gm	Stanford scoring D	18.6 pt/gm
ave opponent D	28.2 pt/gm	ave opponent O	33.4 pt/gm
O performance	105.7%	D performance	55.7%

One can see from the data that there are some interesting matchups. In the table, "performance" is the ratio of how well the team's O/D unit as a season average did versus the aggregate average of all opponents' season averages. Stanford rushing offense, on average gained 25% more yards than their combined opponents allowed over the season on average. Facing the Cardinal rush is the Spartan defense that held its opponents, on average, to under 50% of their season performances.

The statistical performance analysis used in the prior 4 games goes beyond simple data averages listed above and is used again for the upcoming contest.

Stanford	MV	SD	min	median	max
Rush O	128.5%	29.6%	93.1%	112.0%	169.0%
Pass O	83.2%	29.0%	37.4%	83.6%	124.9%
Score O	118.4%	35.1%	62.3%	117.9%	175.7%
Rush D	51.4%	30.2%	13.2%	42.9%	112.9%
Pass D	90.1%	25.3%	60.7%	84.8%	132.6%
Score D	57.5%	19.3%	27.4%	57.0%	92.5%
Michigan St.	MV	SD	min	median	max
Rush O	107.3%	26.0%	67.9%	104.2%	170.0%
Pass O	89.2%	29.5%	44.5%	85.6%	151.9%
Score O	109%	47.3%	36.8%	109.4%	219.9%
Rush D	46.1%	38.3%	-36.7%	46.4%	99.3%
Pass D	76.7%	25.6%	35.8%	84.4%	120.3%
Score D	42.8%	26.8%	0.0%	50.3%	85.9%

"MV" = Mean Value, which is the statistical midpoint of a distribution curve. "SD" = Standard Deviation, which both reflects the spread or width of the distribution as well as the boundary that encloses 68.4% of the data in the distribution (between the MV -1 SD and MV +1 SD). On offense, the "max." is best. On defense, the "min." is best. The "median" is the over/under or 50-50 point. Half of the results are greater than the median and half of the results are less.

Applying the statistical intersection of the distributions as bounded by the first sigma (+/-) gives the following predictions:

Stanford Predictions

101 yards rushing (+27/-21 yards)

147 yards passing (+41/-44 yards)

15 points (+4/-4 points)

Michigan St. Predictions

96 yards rushing (+26/-22 yards)

202 yards passing (+32/-54 yards)

19 points (+4/-7 points)

Scored High/Low Ranges

Standford	19	Michigan St.	12
Standford	11	Michigan St.	23

Of the many other NCAA statistics available for both teams, a few grab one's attention:
MSU 3rd down defense (No. 1) 27.7% verus Stanford 3rd down offense (No. 9) 51.1%.
MSU 1st downs defense (No. 4) 189 allowed versus Stanford 1st downs offense (No. 69) 252 gained.
MSU TO margin (No. 7) +1.1/gm versus Stanford TO margin (No. 67) -0.1/gm.

Statistical Bottom-Line Prediction

Stanford 15 vs Michigan St. 19

Based on the results of the 4 prior analyses, we can expect the following results:

Stanford

rush: max prediction + 25 yards

pass: as predicted

score: 21-24 points

Michigan St.

rush: max prediction + 25 yards

pass: max prediction + 25 yards

score: 31-35 points

MSUSpartan76's Bold Prediction

Stanford 24 vs Michigan St. 35

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MSU FOOTBALL FRONT-BURNER: 2013 REWIND Featuring MSUSpartan76

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

Front-Burner will be published in three parts between the B1G Championship and the Rose Bowl

Part 1. B1G Championship Game Discussion
Part 2. MSU 2013 Season Discussion
           2A. ATownAndDown Feature
           2B. MSUSpartan76 Feature (This Edition)
Part 3. Rose Bowl and Beyond Discussion

Panelists:

ATownAndDown (Follow A-Town on M-Live)

MSUSpartan76 (Follow '76 on M-Live)

Part 2 Discussion Questions (Readers COMMENT below the post.)

1. Looking back at the season, what are your favorite two or three specific moments/visions - not stats or general outcomes/results, but specific events captured on TV, seen in person, read about or heard on the radio?

2. What are some of the most impressive observations/aspects of this team, staff, players, program, etc. that you feel may have gone a bit under reported?

3. Mark Dantonio selected a few true-freshmen to play this season, while still red-shirting most of their classmates. How do you feel about the decisions to activate Shelton, Williams, and Geiger?

4. How many of the fans who wanted Damion Terry to "burn the redshirt" still think that would have been the right thing to do? What does that tell us for the future about fan reactions and early-season perceptions?

5. As for the QB competition, Datonio was accused of was "creating a circus". Was Dantonio being indecisive or was he merely being patient while gathering information, adjusting and verifying? A little of both? What was your take on the situation then vs. now?

6. Michigan State has 18 seniors and will suffer significant losses on defense. Although the Spartans do return good players on defense, I think most analysts will assume a significant drop off in defensive production. Whatever that drop off might be, if there is one, discuss your thoughts on how the experienced offense might help out the defense in 2014. Will it? Can it? Will it be needed?

Responses from MSUSpartan76

(Follow '76 on M-Live)

1. Looking back at the season, what are your favorite two or three specific moments/visions - not stats or general outcomes/results, but specific events captured on TV, seen in person, read about or heard on the radio?

You just had to ask, didn't you! In a season chock full of highlight reel plays, we have to pick and only 2 or 3? Can't be done. The SHORT LIST:

• WMU: Defensive TD, Jarius Jones interception, as he is tackled, he flips it back to Kurtis Drummond who takes it in for the TD.
• OSU: Cook muscling his way in for the TD on a QB keeper.
• OSU: Langford slicing through the heart of the OSU defense for a TD.
• OSU: Spartan Dawgs stopping OSU on 4th and... and again.
• USF: Tyler Hoover leaping over a defender to get the sack. (If readers know of the play and it wasn't Hoover, please let me know in comments)
• UM: Trevon Pendleton's bail out reception for 49 yards on MSU's 1st offensive play.
• OSU: Josaih Price alone in the end zone TD!

But at the top of my list is:

• OSU: Mumphrey 72 yard pass reception taken in for a TD.

2. What are some of the most impressive observations/aspects of this team, staff, players, program, etc. that you feel may have gone a bit under reported?

I keep reading about how O'Connor will be gone since he is not looking to get any playing time with Terry and Cook likely to be the 1 & 2. I recall reading how Terry would bolt for some other school because he was being red shirted. It seems no matter which page I turn to, there is some noise about one Spartan player or another who will be selfish and take his ball and goes home.

Then I look at Andrew Maxwell. He took the decision and stepped up and found other ways to contribute. We are hearing how great Terry was on the scout team preparing the Dawgs for their games. One can run down the roster and find story after story of how these kids put their team and their teammates ahead of themselves. We get glimpses from time to time, but it really is a big story.

If one looks over the past 7 years, there have been a few who left but the turnover is particulary light. The program Mark Dantonio has built, the "monster in East Lansing," has values that go beyond the stadium and practice fields. Family. Work ethic. Academics. Team work. Loyaty. Selflessness. Humbleness. Will to win.

This is all about how to do it right and sadly that is not going to get any headlines.

3. Mark Dantonio selected a few true-freshmen to play this season, while still red-shirting most of their classmates. How do you feel about the decisions to activate Shelton, Williams, and Geiger?

My feelings have nothing to do with this. Coach Dantonio made decisions based on his plans and his vision and team needs as they arose. In general, Coach Dantonio likes to give incoming freshmen a year to assimilate and integrate into the program. He is old school and probably still remembers when there were freshmen teams to do that. There were needs and kids earned the starts. I'm ok with that.

4. How many of the fans who wanted Damion Terry to "burn the redshirt" still think that would have been the right thing to do? What does that tell us for the future about fan reactions and early-season perceptions?

Who cares what the fans think about things they have no influence over and no information on? Ask 100 people for an opinion and you know what you get? 113 opinions. Go back and read the answer to question 3. It applies here, too. To the point, which is, what can we expect in the future from the immature and ill-informed, narrow-minded, single issue mentality fans? More of the same noise and louder.

At the beginning of the season we had many Spartan fans calling for one coach or another to be fired because of this or that. They all thought things should have evolved and progressed to their instant gratification timeline and when it didn't, it had to be the assistant or position coach's fault. Later in the season when UolM was faltering, the chUMps were making exactly the same kind of noise about their assistant and position coaches. 'nuff said.

Coach Dantonio does not listen to the fans and does not allow fan noise to sway his decisions. We are in good hands.

5. As for the QB competition, Datonio was accused of was "creating a circus". Was Dantonio being indecisive or was he merely being patient while gathering information, adjusting and verifying? A little of both? What was your take on the situation then vs. now?

Anyone who raises questions about Head Coach Mark Dantonio's ability to make a plan and see it through is someone who is just trying to cast yet another negative spin on the Spartans. He told us what he wanted to do. He told us what he was looking for. It is the general impatience of the fans and media that colored this into something other than an assessment period. Instant gratification was not there, so it was spun as a controversy rather than the competition that it was. Impatience ruled, so any little molehill was turned into a mountain. Of course the media contributed to this by stirring things up. The media needs controversy, real or fabricated, to get hits that generate advertising revenues. That will never change.

Coach Dantonio was patient and methodical and comprehensive in his evaluations and assessments and in the alterations to the offense for 2013 based on the players that would make it happen. He stayed with his plan even when things were not quite going the way he would have preferred. And the end result? 12-1.

How can you argue with a record setting coach who is now preparing his team for the ROSE BOWL?

6. Michigan State has 18 seniors and will suffer significant losses on defense. Although the Spartans do return good players on defense, I think most analysts will assume a significant drop off in defensive production. Whatever that drop off might be, if there is one, discuss your thoughts on how the experienced offense might help out the defense in 2014. Will it? Can it? Will it be needed?

It is just plain silly to propose a Spartan defense drop off. Having watched 13 games this season and having seen 55 players go in the game against OSU I can say with total confidence that the pipelines are bursting with kids with the desire, the talent, the ability, the drive, and the will to play and win in all 3 phases of the game. Just like we can't get Swenson back or Edinger or Conry or even Muma back, there is always someone who will step up. Sadler was great and he replaced Bates who replace Fields. All three of those were great punters. We look forward now to whoever wins the spot for 2014.

There might be uplevellings by the opponents and certainly the games will be different, but there will not be a Spartan defense drop off. What's more, it is almost certain that the 2014 offense will be "worthy" of sharing the same field with the defense. The offense certainly earned their keep this season.

Why this question? I mean the preface about the defense dropping off and specifically the accurate assessment that media and analysts will spew forth more of this nonsense. When posed versus almost every other team it is answered with, "No probllem. They will just reload." These kinds of media questions and speculations only serve to malign MSU, to reinforce a conjurred mentality of not being able to stand with the best. This is just more of the M4 at their best.

Once again we have to remember the facts. We lost Ringer and Caulcrick; we lost Baker and Bell and Sims and Caper; we lost Jones and Worthy and a whole long list of excellent players and every year we are faced with the same derogatory comments that the Spartan team will just plummet back into mediocrity. 2012 was an anomaly, a transition year that was not well planned in 2011. That will not happen again under Coach Dantonio.

"It isn't over. It will never be over. It's just starting." 

And anyone who does not think 2014 will be as good or better is just a chUMp.

Tweet ****** Click on COMMENTS (or no comments) below to enter and view reader comments. ----- Remember to check Spartan Headline links, updated real time, at the bottom of the page (Web version only). Note: If you are receiving this post via automated email, you need to go to the site to view headline links and embedded videos in this post: http://spartanresource.com/ (Web version only). SIGN UP TO RECEIVE POSTS VIA EMAIL, TWITTER OR FACEBOOK IN THE RIGHT COLUMN.

MSU FOOTBALL FRONT-BURNER: 2013 REWIND Featuring ATownAndDown

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

Front-Burner will be published in three parts between the B1G Championship and the Rose Bowl

Part 1. B1G Championship Game Discussion
Part 2. MSU 2013 Season Discussion
           2A. ATownAndDown Feature (This Edition)
           2B. MSUSpartan76 Feature
           Part 3. Rose Bowl and Beyond Discussion

Panelists:

ATownAndDown (Follow A-Town on M-Live)

MSUSpartan76 (Follow '76 on M-Live)

Part 2 Discussion Questions (Readers COMMENT below the post.)

1. Looking back at the season, what are your favorite two or three specific moments/visions - not stats or general outcomes/results, but specific events captured on TV, seen in person, read about or heard on the radio?

2. What are some of the most impressive observations/aspects of this team, staff, players, program, etc. that you feel may have gone a bit under reported?

3. Mark Dantonio selected a few true-freshmen to play this season, while still red-shirting most of their classmates. How do you feel about the decisions to activate Shelton, Williams, and Geiger?

4. How many of the fans who wanted Damion Terry to "burn the redshirt" still think that would have been the right thing to do? What does that tell us for the future about fan reactions and early-season perceptions?

5. As for the QB competition, Datonio was accused of was "creating a circus". Was Dantonio being indecisive or was he merely being patient while gathering information, adjusting and verifying? A little of both? What was your take on the situation then vs. now?

6. Michigan State has 18 seniors and will suffer significant losses on defense, including punter Mike Sadler [Well - it only seems like Sadler is a senior as he is working on his PhD as a reader pointed out in comments.] Although the Spartans do return good players on defense, I think most analysts will assume a significant drop off in defensive production. Whatever that drop off might be, if there is one, discuss your thoughts on how the experienced offense might help out the defense in 2014. Will it? Can it? Will it be needed?

Responses from ATownAndDown

(Follow A-Town on M-Live)

1. Looking back at the season, what are your favorite two or three specific moments/visions - not stats or general outcomes/results, but specific events captured on TV, seen in person, read about or heard on the radio?

Anyone who knows me knows that I am not a U of M basher, but Devin Gardner basically being carried off the field on that last drive was awesome. That was a game going into that everyone was asking who MSU had faced and was really questioning if the defense was that good or not. That image said everything that needed to be said: MSU was for real.

The other specific image that still gets me was Langford's last TD in the B1G Championship Game. And not so much the TD run but the smiles. Langford pulls his mouth piece at the end to reveal a huge grin. Also they showed Coach D's reaction as the play progressed and even he flashed a rare appearance of his pearly whites. This program has grown a lot and come so far since Coach D arrived. Those smiles showed the joy of achieving the goal he set day one on the job.


2. What are some of the most impressive observations/aspects of this team, staff, players, program, etc. that you feel may have gone a bit under reported?

I would say the resiliency of this group is something that gets lost in all the hoopla. Some point to it and say what a great turnaround story but its not a turnaround story. Everyone has stuck to the plan and saw it through to this point. After 2011, we lost Cousins, Cunningham, Martin, Baker, Linthicum, Celek, and Foreman. In 2012, the offense was a mess and the defense, despite being one of the best in the nation, could do very little to get wins because of that. To make things worse, Sims and Bell left early. It would have been so easy for defensive guys to get selfish. It could have been easy for offensive guys to check out. Coaches could have easily lost the locker room. Even after the rough start it could have been issues because guys started to say "Here we go again." But that didn't happen. The team not only stayed close like a tight knit family but they remained vigilant to Coach D's plan. In the end, it was that resiliency that brought this team here.


3. Mark Dantonio selected a few true-freshmen to play this season, while still red-shirting most of their classmates. How do you feel about the decisions to activate Shelton, Williams, and Geiger?

Coach D made the right decisions with the personnel. The team is past those early stages of trying to build some depth and is to the point that you have to win. The true freshman that played really filled holes that this team had. Shelton has great speed and big play ability. Geiger's kicking lead the B1G in FG% (much better than Muma who was 4 for 6 when Geiger took over). And Williams was a guy that balanced out the running attack (especially before Langford really got his legs underneath him). I would have liked to have seen Williams' and Shelton's roles expanded as the season progressed. There was a bye week after U of M so that might have been an opportunity to get them in some planned sets but I am sure there was a reason for that. In the end, those guys filled needs on the team and the team had everything it needed.


4. How many of the fans who wanted Damion Terry to "burn the redshirt" still think that would have been the right thing to do? What does that tell us for the future about fan reactions and early-season perceptions?

To start with, who knows if the decision to pull the redshirt or not would have been the right one or wrong one. Remember that was supposed to happen going into the YSU game. If Terry was able to do things that Cook couldn't do, could that have meant a win against ND that following week? We have seen back-to-back years where redshirt freshman quarterbacks have been the best players in college football. Its hard to believe they wouldn't have been better than average with some fantastic sprinkled in as true freshmen. Was Terry there or not? Only time will tell. In the end, things worked out very well for the program so the decision appears to be a good one. I don't think you will ever break fans habits of overreacting. Its what we do. In fact there are expressions like "The backup QB is the most popular guy on the team" because of fans quick reactions. There is a reason why coaches coach and fans don't. But then again, there are a lot of coaches that make some knuckleheaded decisions too.


5. As for the QB competition, Dantonio was accused of was "creating a circus". Was Dantonio being indecisive or was he merely being patient while gathering information, adjusting and verifying? A little of both? What was your take on the situation then vs. now?

I think Coach D was a little of both. He knew the potential for an awesome season based on the parts he knew he had and the schedule we had in front of us. So he had to make the right decision so he wanted to gather as much information as he could before making that decision. I think he was a little indecisive because he ended up going with Cook despite the fact that everything we heard coming out of camp and saw from the games would suggest that Cook was the wrong choice. Clearly there was something else that Coach D was getting that no one else was so I don't know why it took so long to just pull that trigger. Maybe he needed to see something like he did in the YSU game before pushing all his chips in.

As far as moving forward, I think Cook had better keep his nose to the grindstone with improving his game. Its one thing to win a QB competition when your toughest competition is Maxwell and you are leading a team that has the make up like this one does. But next year you are going to have Terry much more up to speed on the game and the system. That is going to translate to more consistency which seems to be the biggest thing in Coach D not pulling the redshirt this fall. I think the job is Cook's but that doesn't guarantee him anything. If Terry moves into that #2 area on the depth chart going into Spring and has a strong Spring and Fall camp, you will likely see him getting some game reps next year (inline with Coach D's desire to get reps to his #2). But if Cook rests on his laurels and thinks he is good enough, Terry might open the door to create a real competition. The other thing to think about for next year, the defense likely won't be creating as many favorable situations for the offense. Meaning, who ever is QB is going to have to make more plays than we made this year. I don't know if Cook can play at this same level and make those plays. That added pressure for the offense to advance its game might mean pressure on Cook. Can he step up to that plate without raising his own bar?

6. Michigan State has 18 seniors and will suffer significant losses on defense, including punter Mike Sadler [Well - it only seems like Sadler is a senior as he is working on his PhD as a reader pointed out in comments.]. Although the Spartans do return good players on defense, I think most analysts will assume a significant drop off in defensive production. Whatever that drop off might be, if there is one, discuss your thoughts on how the experienced offense might help out the defense in 2014. Will it? Can it? Will it be needed?

The defense will regress however slightly. I think a few will overreact and assume the bottom is dropping out but that is far from the case. MSU's defense will still be a really solid unit but to expect some of the video game like numbers from this year is a stretch. You still return Calhoun and Rush. In addition, Knox and Scarpinato stepped up and hopefully LT and Kittredge can get back healthy and have the impacts we know they can. Taiwan Jones returns and Davis has quietly turned into Denicos Allen 2.0 (but bigger). Harris is a solid player and Riley Bullough should go back to that side of the ball (I have heard rumors that he is already working over there anyway). And don't sleep on the young LB's too. Finally the secondary might not be the No Fly Zone but Waynes, Drummond, Williamson and Cox are all playmakers back there (and don't be surprised to see one of the latter two find their way to that cover OLB spot). Also, Darien Hicks was a true freshman that played in every game this season and Robinson and Edmondson have been CBs that the coaches have been high on too. There is more than enough depth and talent on that defense to be very competitive. I know you can't replace guys like Bullough and Dennard but the guys coming in are not half bad.

I also think the offense should take a step forward. QB should improve. WR's finally appear to be getting it. You have a 1400 yard 17 TD rusher returning and he will only add more depth behind him. The Oline is strong and TE looks to be coming together too. Its tough to say how much better the offense will be. In the end the big numbers will will likely be similar (yards per game, points per game, etc.) but the way they do it will be different and the more overlooked efficiency stats will likely be better. Also, it will be against a tougher schedule too with Oregon, Nebraska, U of M, OSU, and PSU. I am hoping we can see some steps forward before the bowl game too.

~ATownAndDown (Follow A-Town on M-Live)

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HERE'S A RUNDOWN OF CRAZY BEHAVIOR BY STUDENTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN

There they go again. The media wants everybody in Spartan Nation to feel ashamed of their students (and themselves) because a few future-former-students lit several bonfires on the Saturday night before Finals Week. The latest Cedar Village shindig was just another unregistered block party (the credentials for which would have included a burning permit). But it had no connection with MSU sports, as this event has been taking place sporadically for the past 30 years.

The media wants you to think that students at the University of Michigan are better than students at Michigan State University because "they wouldn't do a thing like that". That is patently absurd. We have numerous examples of UM students going a lot farther off the edge than the Michigan Mainstream Media Machine (M4) would have you believe.

Let's start with the riots of June 1969, known as the "Battle of Ann Arbor". The students actually had sexual relations in broad daylight on Main Street at that event, even amidst the tear gas. Four days long with hundreds of police officers in action and more than 70 arrests.

Back in 1989, when "Cedarfest" was in its infancy, the University of Michigan community offered a blueprint for how to party down after a major sports event. The overtime game against Seton Hall, the phantom foul with two seconds left to send Remedial Robinson to the line, and then the real games began around Ann Arbor town. Flipped cars, broken windows, and arrests capped off a weekend of rioting. Those crazy UM students even attacked an ambulance during the party. Here are some newspaper articles from the Ann Arbor Police Department, with lots of fun pictures.

The did it again in 1992, during the Final Four that was erased from their record books. When Ed Martin's team fell short of the national championship, all hell broke loose on the Michigan campus. Tear gas, mounted police, thousands of students in the streets throwing rocks at the cops. Sounds like it was a riot. (More police records here.)

Have you heard of these happenings? Many of you probably have not heard all about these incidents. That's because you-know-who (the M4) don't want you to think about them, so they don't dwell on them. We wrote about some of this a few days ago, including details on the recent student invasion into the football stadium, resulting in more than a dozen arrests. Any reasonable preview of the 2013 Final Four would have included warnings to business-owners and residents around the UM campus based on what happened in the past.

But the UM students don't need a Final Four to destroy public property in a drunken frenzy, not even a Final Four that was taken away by the NCAA. They're happy to use Saint Patrick's Day as an excuse to get rowdy over their defeat the night before at the hands of the OHIO Bobcats. That's what happened just last year, in 2012.

And last season, those same library-rats lit the town up after the national semi-final against Syracuse. When you read this story, notice how the couches were burned in the street. When it says "in the street", that means a residential neighborhood, unlike Cedar Village (which includes zero full-time resident homeowners).

That brings us to the last game of the 2013 college basketball season, when students at the University of Michigan attempted to burn the town up after Louisville won the game. At least two of those students were on athletic scholarship, varsity wrestlers Justin Dozier and Rosario Bruno. Both were arrested, charged, prosecuted, and processed through the criminal justice system. Bruno remains on the UM wrestling team.

Those two were hardly the ringleaders, as the general student body at Michigan did plenty of damage on their own. The rioting was significant enough that the mass media might have referenced it when Cedarfest caught their attention last weekend, but they somehow all missed that "related story" reference in their coverage. Almost like the UM stuff never happened. But it most certainly did.

When you review all of the historical facts, it's hard to overlook one question about students at the University of Michigan: What's wrong with these kids? Why do they do all of these things? What motivates their behavior? And remember, it's not just post-game brawls that get these young people excited.

Don't forget about the annual assaults against the Sparty statue by Michigan students intending to vandalize public property. The most notorious incident was in 1998, when an obviously organized squad of UM students was repelled by members of the MSU Marching Band. Police arrested 14 students from the University of Michigan, and all were prosecuted and convicted.

And what about the "Naked Mile", an annual rite-of-spring during which hundreds of UM students, both male and female, strip off all of their clothes and run right through downtown Ann Arbor in front of cheering crowds? How would this event be reported if it was happening in East Lansing on Grand River Avenue?

And let's recall the annual "Hash Bash", a University of Michigan student tradition since just after the arrival of Bo Shembechler as coach. Thousands congregate on the sacred UM Diag to light up and be happy, all day long, in broad daylight. What would happen if this event was held at Beaumont Tower each year?

Enough sanctimony about students at the University of Michigan. They are, ironically, even wilder and crazier than they claim MSU to be. Their strange behaviors and unusual traditions - - - even destructive - - - are glossed over by the M4 on a regular basis. When it comes to social disorder and student misbehavior, they are most definitely the "leaders and the best".




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FIRST-PERSON REPORT FROM C-Mann1979 AT THE B1G CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

(Were you at the game? Please write your comment below.)

We have just received our first eye-witness report from the B1G Championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium last weekend. It's our own "C-Mann1979" who made the long drive to make the big scene.

C-Mann tells us that two Michigan players were on hand, Taylor Lewan and Devin Funchess, for some pre-game ceremony. Those two received a cascade of booing from the Spartan/Buckeye crowd.

He also says most Buckeye fans were questioning MSU's chances of actually winning the game:

"Ohio State fans kept asking me before the game what I truly thought State's chances were for the upset. I told them all that I truly thought the wrong team was favored and that they should be very worried. In the end, it looked like the wrong team was favored. Sparty won the game, the Bucks did not lose it. Though those same Buckeye fans see things differently, blaming the loss on their own play-calling. I guess they were planning to give up 34 points. BTW, I told those same fans that I believed the first team to score 29 points would win. And my predicted score was Sparty wins, 34-28. Not too shabby on the prediction parade."

One of our editors noticed the confetti falling on the field seemed to be an odd mixture of blue and yellow, and that question appeared in the Front Burner this week. But C-Mann was there, and he didn't see it that way:

"I haven't seen the replay of the post-game festivities but the confetti that fell in my section were all pastels and could in no way be linked to any Big Ten school colors. I brought some home to fill a box with Spartan gear from the weekend for my son's Christmas. I find it hard to believe that only blue and yellow fell near the podium but I'll look for it."

We'll wait for the update from C-Mann79 on the american confetti. But he noticed we didn't talk about the #4 ranking for the football team anywhere in our various monologues. He's thinking that the fans of some team MSU plays every year have seen it:

"How about a comment on our fourth place ranking? It just shows what a farce rankings are. It's the luck of the draw as to when you lose your only game of the season. But now that we're there, a Rose Bowl win could possibly allow Sparty to finish #3 in the year-end polls. Boy, would that upset a few chUMps (and the M4) out there."

He makes a good point. A loss could drop MSU out of the Top Ten, but a win will most certainly hold position or move up. But I think those who notice us now at #4 will still notice us in about the same way around #10 (if we lose), so I think they're already starting to get the point.

Were you at the game?
Please leave us a COMMENT below,

we'd like to hear a few words from you
about your experience.

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