A Look Into Rivalries

A Look Into Rivalries Â

After I threw myself through the dryer cycle after the MSU game, I sat down to watch MSU’s 2 biggest rivals go at it and came away with 2 thoughts: 1.) “Man, I can't wait to play Notre Dame after Michigan gave them a false sense of confidence, and 2.) “Wow…Michigan looks horrible.” I think next week will be interesting for MSU for multiple reasons, but maybe the most important is the crowd.

I thought Michigan would lose against the Irish not because they were the worse of the two teams, but because it was the first big test on the road for a young team in one of the most historic and rocking stadiums in the country. And you could see that after those first few turnovers, Michigan was shaken beyond repair. I'm predicting the same thing to happen to ND here next week. This Spartan crowd has been amazing in the 2 home games this season, particularly the student section. Against EMU the student section came out and just energized Spartan Stadium and against FAU, even thought they weren't all there, the were still loud enough to shake FAU (And I'm showing love to EVERY fan that showed up for the FAU game. Those who stayed were cold, wet, and uncomfortable but were still VERY energetic and supportive, GREAT job.) This will be the first true test for the Irish, on the road in a packed Spartan Stadium in front of 70,000+ against a Spartan team with a little more stability than Michigan and a little more talent than San Diego St. Even though Jabba had a Tom Brady injury, Notre Dame rolled over Michigan in South Bend due largely to the fact that Michigan turned the ball over 6 times. I'm not saying the Irish are horrible (they're a little bit better than last year) but if you read what they said after their game with the Wolverines you would've thought that they dominated the game. But actually Michigan out gained ND by more than 100 yards, was better on third down, and killed itself with 7 penalties for 79 yards. I'm predicting a MSU victory, but I can't give you a score, you guys on the Phalanx Forum predict those better than me.

Michigan fans have been calling me the last 3 weeks asking how I dealt with losing early non-conference games and dumb coaching mistakes. After 3 games they're telling me how bad MSU will beat UM and how much they suck. Now I can't lie, I think it’s funny that they can't deal with it, but at the same time it just shows how short a leash Rich Rod is on. His 2 freshman QB’s have been slow to pick up the offense and the defense is inconsistent. While Sam “Youtube” Mcguffie has shown improvement, this team still has far too many questions with no answers. They make mental mistakes, look confused at times, and take dumb penalties (see Carson Butler’s ejection against ND). The natives are restless and already wish for Lloyd Carr to return and while I had thought that Rodriguez would get at least 3 years before they'd call for his job that may come sooner than I thought. Regardless of the scores, the Wolverines have looked downright sad in their 3 games.

I made it a point this year not to kick U of M while they were down. State fans think that Michigan fans are notoriously obnoxious so what message would it send if Spartan fans became obnoxious with constant an “I told you so”? Spartan fans should be more concerned with what we do in East Lansing then what Michigan doesn't do in Ann Arbor. Now I know it’s a rivalry and everything is fair game when that week rolls around, but I still think Spartans can be proud without thinking we're superior to Michigan.

In the reception area of the brand new Skandalaris Building lie the Old Brass Spittoon, The Land Grant Trophy, and The Megaphone. After three weeks it looks like the Spartans will have a chance to hold on to all three as well as add the one we want the most: Big old Paul Bunyan.