Wahoo! Ugly Chickens - Check. 14-pt dog to Khakis? Check

OK.  Bring on Big Blue. Thanks sweet Jesus the Big Green defeated the Ugly Chickens from Iowa, otherwise we'd be a 28-pt dog to God.  But, MSU was victorious, and as such, the Touchdown Machine is just a 2-TD underdog to the Ann Arborites.

Bring on Jesus. 

Whew.  The ES figures life was over.  A few take aways from the 17-10  victory over Iowa are below for your consumption.

First the positives:

1.  The Spartan defense is pretty damn good.  The interior defense is far better than advertised.  And, the ES is digging on LB Joe Bachie - he is everywhere.  Everywhere. You'd think Bachie was either a CNN reporter waiting to pounce on Trump or the ghost of Hugh Heffner waiting to pounce on anything moving.

2.  +2 on the TO parade.  LJ Scott hung onto the ball as the only real threat on the ground all day, and he didn't cough up anything.  He should carry that pigskin around campus for the rest of the year.

3.  Felton Davis.  Ahem, we now have a go-to target.  Davis caught nine beautiful balls for 114 yards and 2 TDs - including a leaping goregous-dreadlock catch.  His bud, C, a waitress here at Reno's... was bragging about him to the ES on Sunday.  "My besty... He was killing it!"  Indeed.

4.  Hartbarger.  The Spartan punter just delivered an all-conference performance against Iowa.  MSU dominated, but parce que incompetence of Dave Warner's play calling (see below), the Spartans just couldn't put the game away.  After the ES was done berating Warner, Jake Hartbarger did better and  dropped all five of his Spartan punts inside the 20 -- this includes one of three punts late in the 4th when, over and over and over again, Hartbarger punted as a result of back-to-back false start and delay of game penalties by #2 Justin Layne (and he still stayed in the game after both penalties on the same play).  Give Hartbarger credit, no thanks to his teammate.  His performance was certainly worthy of B1G Player of the Week.

5.  Spartan DBs played... Lights out.  Playing fantastic.  Really tight coverage.  Surprisingly impressive performance.

Now, let the bitching commence.

Coaches:  Get with it!

Dave Warner should be fired immediately.  Coach Dantonio has too much loyalty... but the ES was up in row 125, turning around and screaming at the coaches ("time for a change"???? YES!) next to the press box 'cause:

1.  Iowa fake field goal could be spotted from the moon.  Why didn't Coach D call a time-out?  Just not thinking.  Weird - he's better than that.  Brain fart.

2.  Just a few examples of the garbage crap from offensive coordinator Dave Warner:

    2a.  Don't understand why, early in the 4th, one would throw a long pass out of the shotgun on a 3rd-and-1 while at the Iowa 30.  Confounding.  Led to a missed field goal.  Dumb.

    2b.  With 4:47 to go, on the Iowa 40, on 3rd-and-8, why throw an interior slant. ????  Burn clock???  Duh???

    2c.  With 3:38 to go, 2nd and 10, running the pitch-reverse.  Stupid.  Can lead to a disaster and noone was fooled.  Completely unnecessary.  It's bush-league, John-L-Smith type play-calling.

    2d.  About 6:00 left in the third quarter... two straight runs with an ineffective Madre London straight up the middle. London running useless, so...  bring in LJ Scott, and the same thing.  Loss on downs.  What is wrong with you, Warner?  A glutton for punishment?

3.  Madre London looked like his namesake.  Give his lethargic tail some more fried fish and chips.  Put him on a boat back to see the Queen.

4.  Matt Coughlin, our FG kicker, is not very good.  Just an FYI.

I'M DONE.  Talk to you later.

Bowl projections look terrible for B1G Ten

Wow, based on the projections by BTN's Tom Deinhart, the ES isn't so bullish on the Big Ten's chances in bowls.  This game by MSU really can make or break whether or not MSU plays in a premium bowl, or a toilet bowl. Right now, Deinhart has the Spartans in a toilet bowl.

Here is what the ES thinks with his prediction of a, gulp, ugly 3-6 Big Ten result:

BOWL GAME	MATCHUP	PROJECTION (ES PREDICTS)
BCS title game, Jan. 6	BCS No 1 vs. No. 2	Ohio State vs. Alabama (LOSS)
Rose Bowl, Jan. 1	Big Ten vs. BCS/Pac-12	Northwestern vs. Oregon (LOSS)
Capital One Bowl, Jan. 1	Big Ten vs. SEC	Wisconsin vs. Georgia (LOSS)
Outback Bowl, Jan. 1	Big Ten vs. SEC	Michigan vs. Florida (LOSS)
Gator Bowl, Jan. 1	Big Ten vs. SEC	Nebraska vs. Ole Miss (WIN)
Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl, Dec. 28	Big Ten vs. Big 12	Iowa vs. Baylor (WIN)
Texas Bowl, Dec. 27	Big Ten vs. Big 12	Michigan State vs. Texas (LOSS)
Heart of Dallas Bowl, Jan. 1	Big Ten vs. C-USA	Illinois vs. Rice (WIN)
Little Caesars Pizza, Dec. 26	Big Ten vs. MAC	Minnesota vs. Ohio (LOSS)

B1G Ten Tourney.... Gholston HOF Cafe Watch Party... Vegas Title Odds

ES is all jacked up for the B1G Ten Tourney championship.  At around 3:30 today, ES was in a meeting with several colleagues today who figured last Sunday a few of us Spartans were pulling for the Wolverines to beat Indiana to get MSU a share of the regular season title. NOT!!!!  We SOUNDLY denounced his sacrilege and referred to the new Pope maybe needing to forgive our sins in tone and language.  At 3:30, we may have been the first to ask this Pope Francis for forgiveness... but NAHHH.

What is hilarious is the scUMbags get to play an extra game. Thanks, Francis, God is good.  ES could care less about the performance of those wearing stupid yellow-glow-in-the-dark blinding uniforms.  Bumble-bee uniforms in football, and blinding yellow high-lighters in basketball.  They may be great engineers and doctors, but they are color-blind artists in Ann Arbor.  We'll still kick their butt and their extra game.

JOIN GHOLSTON AT HOF, FRIDAY, 7:45
As for the tourney, well it shall be fun - the ES will be at the Spartan HOF Cafe with his fam and work colleagues at the Spartan HOF for a Mid-Michigan Spartan Alum watch party.  Wanna come out for some brews, food, auction items, and fun while we kick Iowa or Northwestern's bootie?  Game time, tipoff is ETA 7:45 pm on Friday, on BTN.

We'll be hangin' with William Gholston if you're interested...  Need to contact SRothw@aol.com if interested...  GO GREEN!

RPI RATINGS
OK, we'll be throwing some smack at Bracketology all week long if Lunardi doesn't give the Spartans props with at LEAST a #2 seed (and maybe a #1 if they win the B1G tourney?)  But real-time RPI ratings, which are significant in determining NCAA tourney qualifications, so far place the Spartans at #9. should be a great week in March, as is always!!!!  It is IZZO TIME.
FAVORITES?
Check out VegasInsider.http://www.vegasinsider.com/college-basketball/odds/futures/  Spartans are 12-1 to take the title, Michigan is 10-1, and Indiana is 9-2... ES likes our chances, and the $20 he put in the Spartans in Vegas in November.  Here are the full lines below:

Indiana	9/2
Duke	5/1
Louisville	6/1
Florida	7/1
Michigan	10/1
Miami, FL	10/1
Gonzaga	10/1
Georgetown	12/1
Michigan State	12/1
Kansas	15/1
Ohio State	20/1
Syracuse	25/1
St. Louis	30/1
New Mexico	30/1
Arizona	40/1
Pittsburgh	40/1
UCLA	50/1
Kansas State	50/1
Oklahoma State	50/1
North Carolina	60/1
Wisconsin	60/1
N.C. State	60/1
Marquette	75/1
VCU	75/1
Minnesota	75/1
Field (any other team)	100/1
Missouri	100/1
Butler	100/1
Kentucky	100/1
Memphis	100/1
UNLV	100/1
Notre Dame	100/1
Colorado State	100/1
Creighton	100/1
Wichita State	200/1
Illinois	200/1
Oregon	200/1
California	200/1
St. Mary's	200/1
San Diego State	200/1
Colorado	200/1
Belmont	200/1
Alabama	300/1
Oklahoma	300/1
Temple	300/1
Villanova	300/1
Davidson	500/1
Arkansas	500/1
Mississippi	500/1
Virginia	500/1
LaSalle	500/1
Iowa State	500/1
Tennessee	500/1
Vanderbilt	500/1
Baylor	500/1
Xavier	500/1
Cincinnati	500/1
Maryland	1000/1
BYU	1000/1
Purdue	1000/1
Seton Hall	1000/1
St. John's	1000/1
West Virginia	1000/1
St. Joseph's	1000/1
Drexel	1000/1
Stanford	1000/1
Southern Miss	1000/1
Mississippi State	1000/1
Providence	1000/1
Oregon State	1000/1
Ohio	1000/1
Northern Iowa	1000/1
Texas A&M	1000/1
South Florida	1000/1
Washington	1000/1
Dayton	1000/1
Clemson	1000/1
Rutgers	1000/1
Texas	1000/1
Florida State	1000/1
Long Beach State	1000/1
Northwestern	1000/1
Iowa	1000/1
Murray State	1000/1
LSU	1000/1
George Mason	1000/1
Marshall	1000/1
Virginia Tech	1000/1
Georgia	1000/1
Harvard	1000/1
Ole Miss	1000/1
Richmond	1000/1
DePaul	1000/1
Utah State	1000/1
Nevada	1000/1
USC	1000/1
South Carolina	1000/1
Georgia Tech	1000/1
St. Bonaventure	1000/1

 

Michigan State at #5, Iowa favored by 6 over MSU

Your undefeated Spartans move to 8-0 overall, 5-0 in the Big Ten, and #5 in the polls -- its highest ranking in 44 years, two years longer than the ES has been alive. Four weeks left, and the games get bigger every week starting with this week, at #18 Iowa. Despite Michigan State's #5 ranking, the bookies in Vegas aren't buying it... and putting the Hawkeyes as early 6-point favorites.

In the BCS, MSU is also ranked #5 - but ranked as #3 in the computer rankings. Kirk Herbstreit and Rober Smith ranked MSU #6, while Craig James had MSU #3 "based on their body of work and four tough challenges."

Here is the latest poll, with Michigan State moving up three spots to #5 in both the AP and the USA Today polls.

AP Top 25
RK	TEAM	RECORD	PTS
1	Oregon (44)	7-0	1480
2	Boise State (11)	6-0	1419
3	Auburn (3)	8-0	1376
4	TCU (2)	8-0	1354
5	Michigan State	8-0	1175
6	Alabama	7-1	1173
7	Missouri	7-0	1121
8	Utah	7-0	1098
9	Wisconsin	7-1	1022
10	Ohio State	7-1	931
11	Oklahoma	6-1	861
12	LSU	7-1	831
13	Stanford	6-1	830
14	Nebraska	6-1	760
15	Arizona	6-1	691
16	Florida State	6-1	606
17	South Carolina	5-2	476
18	Iowa	5-2	468
19	Arkansas	5-2	435
20	Oklahoma State	6-1	336
21	Virginia Tech	6-2	270
22	Miami (FL)	5-2	229
23	Mississippi State	6-2	221
24	USC	5-2	172
25	Baylor	6-2	56

• Dropped from rankings: West Virginia 20, Texas 22

• Others receiving votes: Nevada 32, Hawaii 19, Michigan 9, Syracuse 8, West Virginia 8, San Diego State 7, East Carolina 7, Navy 5, Oregon State 5, Northwestern 4, Florida 2, Maryland 1, North Carolina State 1, Northern Illinois 1,

Meanwhile, and don't look now, but the Spartans are also ranked #2 in the preseason USA Today men's basketball poll.

Michigan State - Iowa PICK'EM this week; it's a straight up dogfight

After yet another solid defensive performance by Michigan State, the Vegas bookies seem bullish on the Spartans with an even spread -- it's a pick 'em -- for this week's matchup against #7/#8 Iowa Hawkeyes... kickoff is slated for 7 pm this Saturday in East Lansing. ESPN's Adam Rittenberg is also much impressed with the Spartans and this week's matchup against the Hawkeyes.

Also in the Big Ten, Purdue has jumped to an 11-point home favorite over the soon-to-be-coachless Illinois Zooks; Northwestern is favored by 7 at home over Indiana; Ohio State is favored by 17 at home over Minny; Joe Pa is favored by 4 at scUM.

Michigan State is receiving some love from the coaching ranks, as it now has 5 "Also Considered" votes in the USA Today Poll. It's creeping back up with its 3 straight wins.

USA Today Poll - October 18, 2009

RK	TEAM	RECORD	PTS
1	Florida (49)	6-0	1464
2	Alabama (9)	7-0	1398
3	Texas (1)	6-0	1386
4	USC	5-1	1237
5	Boise State	6-0	1153
6	Cincinnati	6-0	1104
7	TCU	6-0	1069
8	Iowa	7-0	1037
9	Miami (FL)	5-1	998
10	LSU	5-1	995
11	Penn State	6-1	894
12	Oklahoma State	5-1	795
13	Georgia Tech	6-1	779
14	Oregon	5-1	769
15	Virginia Tech	5-2	672
16	Brigham Young	6-1	577
17	Ohio State	5-2	481
17	Houston	5-1	421
19	Pittsburgh	6-1	328
20	Utah	5-1	300
21	Kansas	5-1	222
22	West Virginia	5-1	188
23	South Carolina	5-2	142
24	Texas Tech	5-2	132
25	Mississippi	4-2	114

Dropped from rankings: Nebraska 17, Oklahoma 18, South Florida 21, Missouri 24, Notre Dame 25

Others receiving votes: Oklahoma 113, South Florida 104, Nebraska 84, Central Michigan 34, Notre Dame 31, Boston College 26, Wisconsin 26, Arkansas 19, Michigan 13, Georgia 12, Missouri 11, Oregon State 10, Idaho 8, Auburn 8, California 7, Arizona 7, Michigan State 5, North Carolina 1, Rutgers 1