Mel Tucker Gets Heated Talking Michigan Rivalry

Michigan State head coach Mel Tucker got a little fired up when asked about the rivalry against Michigan and this year's kickoff time.

After last year, everyone knows that the Michigan-Michigan State rivalry isn't in the best place. You simply cannot have players fighting and catching charges after a game. It just cannot go down like that. Wolverines and Spartans are never going to be best friends, and that's fine, but thing can't escalate to violence and criminal activity the way it did last year. 

Just as Big Ten Media Days kicked off, it was announced that the Spartans will host the Wolverines in East Lansing at 7:30 pm this season. That sounds like a recipe for disaster given what transpired in Ann Arbor this past season, but MSU head coach Mel Tucker didn't seem too worried about the start time.

"We'll be there, he said. 

But he did seem a bit worried or annoyed when asked about the state of the rivalry. He was also asked if it should be reigned in or toned down in any way, shape or form.

"What do you mean reigned in?," he asked. "How do you reign it in? I don’t know how you do that. There’s not a day that’s gone by that I haven’t heard something about that game. I mean, every day of my life I hear about that game. So, I don’t know how you reign that in. It just is what it is.”

Tucker also scoffed at the idea of removing that game from the schedule for a year or two until things settle down.

"No, that’s never going to happen," he said. "That’s not even a reality. Why would we want to do that?"

Tucker gets it. He's beaten Jim Harbaugh twice and understands what that game means to MSU. It definitely means more to the Spartans, since Michigan has Ohio State to worry about, but it's absolutely a game that both programs want to have.

"I mean, that’s what’s great about college football," he said. "I’ve been a part of – we’ve talked about it before – when you’re coaching Cleveland-Pittsburgh, Chicago-Green Bay, Alabama-Auburn, Georgia-Florida, Colorado-Nebraska. Those are big games. And, that’s why we coach. That’s why you play – to be in those games and ultimately win those games. Oftentimes, you’re judged by how you do in those games. So, I think it’s great.

"From the day I got here, in my initial press conference, I’m not shying away from the challenge of the rivalry. It’s the biggest game of the year for us. And it’s always going to be like that as long as I’m the coach here."