Heading to Nebraska Dantonio Declares of the Spartans: “Our football team is ready to go!”

As the undefeated Michigan State Spartans head to Lincoln, Nebraska this weekend Mark Dantonio the head coach says that that, “Our football team is ready to

As the undefeated Michigan State Spartans head to Lincoln, Nebraska this weekend Mark Dantonio the head coach says that that, “Our football team is ready to go.” The Spartans have fought injuries all year since before the first game and the bye week couldn’t have come at a better time.

Dantonio for the first time all year had some good news about injuries this season. “We got healthy. Lot of bumps and bruises sort of healed up or fatigue on some players. Certainly the guys that were hurt responded as well, so that's positive. I think that's what we needed to do.”

As Spartan Nation feels disrespected with the latest college football playoff rankings Dantonio pays it no mind. He admitted he wasn’t watching the revealing of those ranking last night on ESPN as he was watching film.

In 2013, the Spartan team that many feel if there had been a playoff would have won the national title, wasn’t even ranked until week 10. Coach Dantonio thinks what matters for the Spartans is not the rankings, but the next game and that is in Lincoln.

He said of the Spartans ability to compartmentalize the rankings and just focus on the Huskers as, “Hopefully that's a sign of maturity. We've been in this situation before. We've had a good football team last year, was on the verge of being in a playoff situation last year. Understand what happened. We went to the Cotton Bowl and that's great. It was a very exciting time for us. But the year before we understand what went on the year before as well. So hopefully our seniors understand that. We talk a lot about it. You better focus on the task at hand. There's no reason to look forward past that.” Dantonio went on to add, “But you also need to understand we have a great opportunity in front of us. Really we're in control of those opportunities. Nobody else. We're in control of those opportunities. We have people left on our schedule beginning with this weekend that can start to tell the story of Michigan State, so we need to start with that aspect.”

In the world of football, college or pro, Lincoln, Nebraska is only rivaled by Lambeau Field in Green Bay as THE elite football environment.  Dantonio thinks his guys are just excited to be back in one of football’s most elite places. “I think our players will be very excited to go out there. I think it's a great place to play, fan base, environment, everything that's there for us from an opportunity standpoint. So our players will be focused.”

Dantonio added about the Husker experience, “I just think it's a very competitive environment, and it's a college environment, much like we play in out here. Like across the Big Ten, it's just a great college environment to play in and a lot of excitement. A lot of -- it's loud. It's everything you want in college football.”

In 2013 the Spartans won in Lincoln for the first time. Dantonio says that having a win in a place that up until then had been a nightmare is a big thing. He said, “I think when you go to a place and you haven't won before, you play poorly and then you respond and go back and play well. I think it just gives you a confidence booster that, hey, we can win in that environment. I think that was one of the last places that we had not won.” He also added, “But we've taken pride in winning in every stadium in this conference away. It's more difficult when you go away, and we take great pride in going there and understanding that there is a crowd that you have to play in front of that's not necessarily yours. So it's challenging.”

He’s right. It is a challenge, but the Spartans will be considerably healthier. That is good news for the Spartan, and like he said, “Our football team is ready to go!”