Michigan State Playing For Pride Now Out of Contention for Big Ten Title

Written by RNG Staff Writer

For the past few seasons, the Michigan State Spartans have been one of the best football teams in the country, and are usually contending for the Big Ten championship on an annual basis. However, the Spartans find themselves in unfamiliar territory this season, a middle of the pack team in the conference. The college football odds haven’t been kind to the Spartans this season, and their odds of winning games will even be worse going forward, after opening conference play 0-2.

On Saturday, the Spartans lost to Indiana 24-21 in overtime, which was a big surprise to most, who were expecting the Spartans to continue their recent domination of the Hoosiers. The 0-2 start marks the first time since 2007 that the Spartans started their conference play 0-2.

During the offseason, the Spartans boasted about having the best linebacker corps in college football, and talked about winning the Big Ten title, but after the team’s first four games, their chances of winning the conference is all but gone. At this point, the only positive the team can take in their disappointing season is to knock off a few ranked opponents and spoil their chances of making the College Football Playoffs, which doesn’t seem very likely.

While the Spartans haven’t been mathematically eliminated from winning the Big Ten title, history has shown that it is difficult to do so after starting off 0-2.

If you remove the teams that had postseason sanctions, only one team in the last 15 years has been able to win the Big Ten title after losing two conference games. The 2011 Wisconsin Badgers were that team.

For Michigan State to have a chance to win their conference, the team will have to win out, which is easier said than done. The Spartans still have to play rivals Michigan and Ohio State, two teams that are ranked in the Top 5 in the country. The good news for the Spartans is that both games will be played on their home field.

Even though the Spartans are 2-2 and didn’t look like a very good team against Indiana, they can realistically make it to a good bowl game if they win a majority of their remaining eight games, but the team’s goal of making the College Football Playoffs is not looking very likely.

Head coach Mark Dantonio seemed resigned to the fact that his team will not be competing for the national championship this year, but he expressed confidence in his players and said they will figure out a way to turn things around.

While an 8-4 record isn’t considered a bad season for a lot of college football teams, it is a disappointment in East Lansing because the team has become used to playing for bigger stakes like the conference title and a playoff spot. After winning 11 games in five of the last six seasons, Dantonio has created a winning culture that makes it difficult to accept anything less.

Now that the team’s chances of winning the conference are all but gone, quarterback Tyler O’Connor said the team will be playing for the pride of the program for the rest of the season.

Photo credit: sportsformulator.com; Michigan State Spartans take the field.