My computer's been down for the last three days, so I've been unable to rant via this medium. Geez, so much stuff was going on. Certainly, this was cause for celebration in some quarters. Many not only disagree with my ramblings, but consider me a fool. I get that, and they might be right. Yet there are others that seem to hang in there for whatever reason, God bless em. So, in my best imitation of Jack Nicholson in The Shining -- once again -- Heeere's Johnny.
At any rate, a belated congrats to Michigan State football for winning the Big 10 conference championship with a convincing victory over previously (for almost two full years) undefeated Ohio State. Few would doubt that MSU showed themselves to be the superior football team when it mattered. Well done indeed, and on to a New Year's day clash with the Stanford Cardinal in the Rose Bowl. It should be a very good game. This is a big deal for the Spartans and their faithful.
Yet one is left to wonder --- while the Spartans are no doubt thrilled to be going back to the Rose Bowl for the first time since forever --- have they been conditioned to think small? I'll get back to that. Most objective sports fans would likely agree MSU's arch-rival Michigan continues to get a lot more pre, and in-season hype, until they inevitably prove themselves to have been overrated. In the meantime, the Spartans also continue to get the Rodney Dangerfield treatment. No respect. But guess who's been better -- a lot better -- for most of the last several years?
Depending on the poll, MSU was ranked somewhere around #10 before they offed the then #2 Buckeyes in Indianapolis -- a neutral site. Obviously that got the attention of the pollsters, because MSU jumped all the way to #4. Stanford is #5, which should make for a good match-up, but there's something else that has gone unnoticed.
Yes, Florida State, the only undefeated team in the country, has certainly earned their way into playing for the national championship. They will face Auburn, which was #3 before Ohio State got their eyes bucked out by MSU. But wait a minute.....
Auburn had one prior loss. That was at LSU way back on Sept. 21. Not only was it a loss -- Auburn got thumped by two touchdowns, 35-21. Fast forward. On Nov. 16, Auburn had a win fall into their lap against Georgia, when two Georgia defensive backs ran into each other, the football popped up, and miraculously found it's way into the hands of an Auburn receiver for a touchdown. Fast forward two more weeks to Nov. 30. On another miracle play, as time was expiring, Auburn defeated then #1 Alabama when the Tide foolishly attempted a field goal out of their kicker's range, and an Auburn returner scampered a whopping 108 yards the other way for a touchdown, virtually untouched. These kinds of things can happen when you've got a bunch of fat guys on one side, a bunch of fast guys on the other -- and the tables are quickly turned. Nevertheless, Auburn seems to have lived a charmed life.
Conversely, Michigan State had one loss as well. On the very same day Auburn was getting blistered at LSU, MSU lost a squeaker at Notre Dame, 17-13. Since then, Michigan State has handily dispatched every team they've played. Luck had nothing to do with it.
And that's where the thinking small part comes in. Immediately after MSU had won the Big 10 championship, they were celebrating with long stemmed roses in the mouths. Finally, they're going back to Pasadena. Thing is, MSU head coach Mark Dantonio missed a golden opportunity at that time, because the Spartans have been conditioned to think small. Immediately after dispatching Ohio State, Dantonio and his team should have forgone the roses and been chanting -- bring on Florida State and let's see who the best team is. For the above reasons, an argument could certainly be made that MSU is a more worthy contender than Auburn.
But Michigan State hasn't yet got to the point where they think that way. In the Big 10, dating all the way back to the Bo and Woody days, the most important thing was always about who won the conference. It still seems to be that way today.
A couple decades ago, when Miami of Florida was a national powerhouse, they scoffed at such thinking. Let people like the Big 10 and Pac 10 worry about their silly conference championships. The only thing that matters is winning the national title. And they did.
Today, there are those like Alabama and Ohio State which aspire to the same sort of thinking. The records of coaches like Nick Saban and Urban Meyer speak for themselves. They'll be back, complete with more crops of 5-star recruits to take a shot at the big prize. And after all, in the big picture, there's only one bowl game that really matters. All the rest of them can have their parades, big cha-chings for the participating schools, and their three hours of national TV air time in December or January. Bring on the marching bands and the cheerleaders, and let the winner go home with a giant trophy, and even hoist another banner somewhere. Good for them, but only in the wacky world of college football does the regular season end, everything is put on hold for a few weeks (no games, no playoffs), and then 34 -- count-em -- 34 bowl games take place amongst teams that have already been determined to be also rans. Tiger Woods had it right. Even the first runner up is a loser. And nobody remembers, or cares, who that was, let alone going 60-some deep in the field.
So here's wishing Michigan State well in the Rose Bowl. But methinks they should consider setting their sights a little higher. Being happy to play in the same stadium in a "consolation" game 5 days before the championship game goes down at the same venue is not how those that would be king are supposed to think.
Again, Dantonio and company should have eschewed the roses and called out Florida State. Perhaps it wouldn't have made a difference with the pollsters and computers, but it would have sent a very strong message.
We're as good or better than anybody right now, including the overrated SEC. We can beat anybody from that conference. Bring on the Seminoles and let's see what happens. Now THAT would have raised a few eyebrows and caused the talking TV heads to shift into warp-speak drive.
And if the Spartans indeed defrock the Cardinal on the undercard at Pasadena, perhaps they can shed their Rodney image once and for all.
Yet it all starts with attitude. If you want to be the greatest, you have to think you're the greatest, and not be shy about proclaiming it. Cassius Clay knew that. So did Jackie Gleason. It seemed to work out pretty well for those guys. Yours truly thinks the same way. Without a shadow of a doubt, I am the greatest blogger in the world. I think like a butterfly, write like the script to a B movie, hang out with guys like Norton, and there's a certain woman I've always wanted to send to the moon. Let the masses read in awe whatever thoughts I deign to share with them. I AM THE GREATEST. So there.
Then again, I could be wrong about that, and MSU might get blistered in the Rose Bowl. Like the immortal character Dalton once said in Road House -- opinions vary.
And along that line -- no matter what -- when using the facilities, don't eat the big white mint.......
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