MICHIGAN STATE vs MICHIGAN FOOTBALL RIVALRY: SUMMARIZING THE TEN YEAR BATTLE

Everybody knows by now that Michigan State has out-performed and generally surpassed Michigan in football under Mark Dantonio, especially in the last five years. But what about the last decade? UM fans are always heralding history, telling us that MSU has "only been good recently", as if it's just a passing fad or a blip on the sports screen. So let's take a look at the two programs compared to each other over the last 10 years of college football.

For what it's worth, 10 years is the approximate maximum personal exposure a high school junior has to college sports. So the previous decade basically forms the opinions of most young athletes regarding possible schools of choice.

Wolverine fans are constantly bragging about their "all-time wins record", but to do so, they are actually counting rugby scrimmages from the late 1800s as "football". There's no way to stop those people, but we don't have to believe in their mythology. Anyway, a decade is definitely a significant measuring stick, so here we go.

UM Final AP Football Rank

• 2015 - #12
• 2014 - unranked
• 2013 - unranked
• 2012 - #24
• 2011 - #12
• 2010 - unranked
• 2009 - unranked
• 2008 - unranked
• 2007 - #18
• 2006 - #8

MSU Final AP Football Rank

• 2015 - #6
• 2014 - #5
• 2013 - #3
• 2012 - unranked
• 2011 - #11
• 2010 - #14
• 2009 - unranked
• 2008 - #24
• 2007 - unranked
• 2006 - unranked

The Spartans have been ranked by the AP six times

in the past decade, while the Wolverines have made

the Top 25 only five seasons out of the past ten.

Last 10 Football Games Between MSU and UM

2015:  MSU won by 4 (27-23)

2014:  MSU won by 24 (35-11)

2013:  MSU won by 23 (29-6)

2012:  UM won by 2 (12-10)

2011:  MSU won by 14 (28-14)

2010:  MSU won by 17 (34-17)

2009:  MSU won by 6 (26-20, OT)

2008:  MSU won by 14 (35-21)

2007:  UM won by 4 (28-24)

2006:  UM won by 18 (31-13)

• Ten Game Record = MSU 7, UM 3
• Most Lopsided Victory = MSU by 24 (2014)
• Total Points = MSU 261, UM 183 (MSU +78 points)

Let's continue by summarizing the season results for each team over the past decade.

SEASON RESULTS OVER THE LAST DECADE

Michigan State Spartans

2006:  4-8, Tenth Place, no bowl

2007:  7-6, Seventh Place, bowl loss

2008:  9-4, Third Place, bowl loss

2009:  6-7, Sixth Place, bowl loss

2010:  11-2, First Place (B1G), bowl loss

2011:  11-3, First Place (division), Bowl Win

2012:  7-6, Fourth Place (division), Bowl Win

2013:  13-1, First Place (B1G), Rose Bowl Champion

2014:  11-2, Second Place (division), Cotton Bowl Champion
2015:  12-2, First Place (B1G), College Football Semi-Finalist

• MSU TEN YEAR TOTAL = 91-41 (.689)
• Current Bowl Games in a row = 9
• Total Bowl Victories = 4
• Biggest Bowl Win Streak = 4
• League Championships = 3
• Division Titles = 4

Michigan Wolverines

2006:  11-2, Second Place, bowl loss

2007:  9-4, Second Place, Bowl Win

2008:  3-9, Tenth Place, no bowl

2009:  5-7, Tenth Place, no bowl

2010:  7-6, Seventh Place, bowl loss

2011:  11-2, Second Place (division), Bowl Win

2012:  8-5, Second Place (division), bowl loss

2013:  7-6, Fifh Place (division), bowl loss

2014:  5-7, Fourth Place (division), no bowl
2015:  10-3, Third Place (division), Bowl Win

• UM TEN YEAR TOTAL = 76-51 (.598)
• Current Bowl Games in a row = 1
• Total Bowl Victories = 3
• Biggest Bowl Win Streak = 1
• League Championships = 0
• Division Titles = 0

We have looked at 10-year comparisons before between MSU and UM in Football, as well as Men's Basketball and Women's Basketball. In this section, we direct our focus to conference games only.* Here are the 10-year conference records for the two schools:

MSU 10-year B1G Conference record: 55-28 (.663)

2006: 1-7

2007: 3-5

2008: 6-2

2009: 4-4

2010: 7-1

2011: 7-2 (includes B1G Ten CCG)

2012: 3-5

2013: 9-0 (includes B1G Ten CCG)
2014: 7-1
2015: 8-1  (includes B1G Ten CCG)

• Longest conference winning streak: 14 games
• Five seasons with 7 or more conference wins

UM 10-year B1G Conference record: 43-37 (.534)

2006: 7-1

2007: 6-2

2008: 2-6

2009: 1-7

2010: 3-5

2011: 6-2

2012: 6-2

2013: 3-5
2014: 3-5
2015: 6-2

• Longest conference winning streak: 7 games
• One season with 7 or more conference wins

You can see from the summary above that over the last ten years of the series, MSU has taken charge, winning both big and small, both home and away. (Important to note that this "Ten-Year Picture" will not change much to favor UM the next couple of seasons, even if the Wolverines win the next two games, as the game count for the decade would remain 7-3, MSU.)

BOTTOM LINE: 

Mark Dantonio promised that MSU would "measure up"

when he took over the job in 2007, and the Spartans

have done so, by winning league championships,

division titles, and bowl games. 

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Tweet ****** The purpose of this web site is to expose the mainstream media bias that consistently portrays Michigan in a favorable light under any and all circumstances. We present current facts and review historical records to show that UM is not all they are cracked up to be. This process involves information that is negative by nature, offered as a counter-balance to the biased picture we all see on a regular basis in the mainstream media. These negative facts may involve Wolverine teams, players, coaches, administrators, and/or fans. We are here to prove that Michigan is NOT AS DIFFERENT as they want us all to believe.

THE SOLUTION FOR "SATELLITE CAMPS"

Everybody knows that Jim Harbaugh was using the Satellite Camp rules loophole to continue recruiting during the summertime non-contact periods. Observers and commentators from coast-to-coast have identified the behavior accurately. The recent NCAA crackdown on the tricky scheme was necessary to maintain a sense of regulatory order within college football in order to maintain competitive balance throughout all of Division One.

The first ruling may have gone "too far" and it may yet be tweaked (as soon as today), but it's been another eye-opener to watch the Harbaugh Disciples explain away the practice that - - - under today's rules - - - would be NCAA violations. These folks, and they are definitely chUMps, have been claiming that Harbaugh is holding these camps as some sort of charity event for underprivileged kids, with nothing to gain for himself or his school.

What a crock of chUMp-dUMpings!

Harbaugh is only out for himself, and he was using 

the satellite camps to promote his program.

Period. End of story.

It would be the end except for all of the chips left on the table for all of the coaches to try to grab, so there could be another interpretive change on the way regarding satellite camps. While we wait for the next move on the recruiting chessboard, here's a simple way to solve the problem for everybody.

The NCAA need only adopt what we are calling "Satellite Camp Rule #1", as outlined below. You will see it is simple and to the point, and relatively easy to enforce:

Satellite Camp Rule #1

"No player who attends a satellite camp will be eligible to play football for the school that sponsors the satellite camp."

Adoption of the above rule would allow Harbaugh to continue his "charity work" unimpeded, bringing football scholarship opportunities to kids all over the country, provided that they did not ever attend the University of Michigan. Enforcement of this rule would be easy and simple, requiring little time or attention on the part of NCAA regulatory staff. An official attendance list would be submitted to the NCAA during each camp, and the attendees would be free to attend college and play football wherever they could, except for the institution that holds the camp.

Do I think that Harbaugh would like this rule? No I don't, because I know that he is using the satellite camps to recruit during non-contact periods. But according to the chUMps, this rule wouldn't stop him because it's viewed by them as selfless charity work for the good of otherwise helpless children.

The NCAA could add one more rule, to ensure that only the most good-hearted charitable coaches will run satellite camps. This would be "Satellite Camp Rule #2":

Satellite Camp Rule #2

"Satellite Camps may only be held during open-contact 

periods for football player recruiting."

Rule #2 would ensure that the selfless charity of the coaches who run satellite camps would be socially and spiritually PURE, as coaches that run such camps would have to forgo their own team recruiting in order to do so.

We don't know what the NCAA will do next regarding satellite football recruiting camps, but we can be certain that adoption of Rule #1 and Rule #2 would quickly end any interest by Jim Harbaugh in doing them, whether he wears his shirt or not. And that would shut down the absurd claims by his lemmings that he is not out for himself when he runs these camps.

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Tweet ****** The purpose of this web site is to expose the mainstream media bias that consistently portrays Michigan in a favorable light under any and all circumstances. We present current facts and review historical records to show that UM is not all they are cracked up to be. This process involves information that is negative by nature, offered as a counter-balance to the biased picture we all see on a regular basis in the mainstream media. These negative facts may involve Wolverine teams, players, coaches, administrators, and/or fans. We are here to prove that Michigan is NOT AS DIFFERENT as they want us all to believe.

BEILEIN DIPS INTO THE "FREE-AGENT MARKET"

Can you believe what's become of Michigan Basketball? The Wolverines USED TO BE a "College Program" - - - okay, a dirty college program - - - but a COLLEGE program nevertheless.

Despite its prominent role as the perpetrator of the worst financial scandal in the history of intercollegiate sports, UM used to operate in approximately the same manner as all of the other schools. They would recruit players, sign them, and then let them play out their careers wearing yellow shorts. They even used to have "Senior Night" on an annual basis, just like everybody else.

Now they are deep into the John Beilein Era and Michigan Basketball appears to be auditioning for lead roles on "As The World Turns" and "The Guiding Light". What a SOAP OPERA!

• Beilein whines when a game starts too late, claiming it will cramp the habits of his student-athletes. Forget about the other teams who have to do the same thing.

• Beilein brings in an over-aged academic virtual non-qualifier in Mitch McGary, sits him on the bench the entire season before letting him start a handful of games in the tournament, only to see him play only a handful more games before self-disqualifying due to an ill-timed doobie.

• Beilein drives off one player after another before their Senior season, only to see them come back to Crisler wearing a different uniform on the visiting team's bench and going home victorious over UM.

• Beilein creates a "folk hero" in walk-on Spike Albrecht, cultivating his legendary status over the next season by heralding his exploits at every opportunity, acting like the boy was his favorite son, and then pressuring him to keep playing through double-hip surgery as if he was the greatest non-scholarship "scholar" ever to wear blue shoes. Then Beilein writes the final chapter of "The Spike Albrecht Story" by pitching the useless gimp to the junk-pile after the confused youngster publicly "retired", then "came back from retirement". Albrecht may yet re-enter Crisler wearing red or purple or black or silver. By all means, STAY TUNED FOR THE NEXT EPISODE!

Now Beilein seems to be playing the free-agent market to put together his next team. Forget about a four-year career, Ricky Doyle. Go on back to your daddy, Aubrey Dawkins. Hold on, Spike, wait right here in the hallway while we conduct interviews with your likely replacement...we'll get right back to you...if we don't find somebody better.

For awhile there, players were dropping out of the Ann Arbor college so frequently it seemed like they misunderstood the phrase "try to act professional". Fans celebrated every early departure as if it was the mark of a champion. It was if nobody remembered what the letter "U" stood for in the letters "UM".

Seems like Johnny Apple Farmer is right in sync with his new boss, James Harbaugh. Both coaches appear to be approaching their jobs like they run a "Fantasy Team", dropping and adding players rampantly in order to try to win the pool next season.

I'm no fan of the University of Michigan,

but I grew up believing they were a college program.

That no longer seems to be the case.

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Tweet ****** The purpose of this web site is to expose the mainstream media bias that consistently portrays Michigan in a favorable light under any and all circumstances. We present current facts and review historical records to show that UM is not all they are cracked up to be. This process involves information that is negative by nature, offered as a counter-balance to the biased picture we all see on a regular basis in the mainstream media. These negative facts may involve Wolverine teams, players, coaches, administrators, and/or fans. We are here to prove that Michigan is NOT AS DIFFERENT as they want us all to believe.

MICHIGAN WOMEN'S BASKETBALL COACH CAMPAIGNS FOR "THE RIGHT TO BARE ARMS"

Seems like every coach at the University of Michigan has to have their "signature look". Brady Hoke showed up on game days looking like an overgrown blueberry with a yellow "M" on his belly. Now Jim Harbaugh has his cutting-edge fashion statement of wearing khaki-pants every minute of every day.

Blueberry Fields Forever

What do you expect me to look like?

But there is another UM coach who likes to wear her emotions on her sleeves, or rather, on her bare skin. On game days. INDOORS.

It's Women's Basketball Coach Kim Barnes-Arico, "Queen of the Naked Shoulders". While most female basketball coaches present a range of fashionable haberdashery while prowling the sidelines, this Wolverine Woman sticks almost exclusively to the "look at my arms" appearance.

No big deal, I suppose, but also unprecedented in women's sports. What's next, "short-shorts"? Or maybe a tube-top? Perhaps a mini-skirt with patent-leather shoes?

For amusement purposes only, take a look at the various pictures below to see what we're talking about.

She believes in a woman's right to BARE ARMS

"Check out my GUNS!"

Hey, sleeve me alone.

I am shouldering such a burden here.

Cheer with me for my BICEPS!

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Tweet ****** The purpose of this web site is to expose the mainstream media bias that consistently portrays Michigan in a favorable light under any and all circumstances. We present current facts and review historical records to show that UM is not all they are cracked up to be. This process involves information that is negative by nature, offered as a counter-balance to the biased picture we all see on a regular basis in the mainstream media. These negative facts may involve Wolverine teams, players, coaches, administrators, and/or fans. We are here to prove that Michigan is NOT AS DIFFERENT as they want us all to believe.