Spartan icers win GLI, again

MSU ice hockey team crushed RPI, 6-1, to win its 12th GLI crown last night. On the previous night, MSU defeated Michigan Tech, 10-1.

That's 16-2 score in the GLI. Congrats Spartans!

Bettors more bullish on Spartans in Alamo Bowl on news of Leach firing

As Tom Waits said, "and he goes down down down, and the Devil calls him by name..." well, the Alamo Bowl point spread of Texas Tech and Michigan State in favor of TTU has now dropped by one point to 8 and 7 1/2 points in favor of TTU.

The spread is still solidly in favor of TTU, but the chipping away via the dismissal of head coach Mike Leach is beginning to rear its ugly head for Tech faithful.

MOVING TO MSU (9)
Cal Neva (from TTU -8 to TTU -7.5), Golden Nugget (from TTU -8.5 to TTU -8), Leroys (from TTU -8 to TTU -7.5), LVSC (from TTU -8 to TTU -7.5), M Resort (from TTU -9 to TTU -8), Mirage (from TTU -8.5 to TTU -8), Stations (TTU -8.5 to TTU -7.5), Stratosphere (from TTU -8 to TTU -7.5), Venetian (from TTU -8 to TTU -7.5)

MOVING TO TTU (1)
Caesars (from TTU -7 to TTU -8),

EVEN (3)
Atlantis (TTU -8), Hilton (TTU -7.5), Peppermill (TTU -8)

TTU's Leach FIRED in advance of Alamo Bowl

Texas Tech head coach Mike Leach was fired today three days before the Alamo Bowl vs Michigan State. As the ES stated earlier last night, "word to the wise: DON'T SUE YOUR EMPLOYER. You're just going to piss them off more."

As predicted, it happened. Leach was fired this morning just prior to the hearing before court to have him reinstated as coach for the Alamo Bowl. They are speechless over at the Double T Nation.

According to ESPN, "(Leach attorney) Ted Liggett said that Texas Tech general counsel Pat Campbell approached him outside the courtroom and told him that win, lose or draw in the hearing, Leach was out, effective immediately." After being notified in writing, Liggett told the judge there was no need for the hearing.

As the ES said, you can't treat a football player under your responsibility like meat after they have been diagnosed with a concussion. You can't play doctor and give out a treatment method. It is better that you listen to the player for his welfare - if you don't get along with the player, then get rid of the kid (terminate the scholarship), but don't throw them in a closet for 3 hours (twice).

Stupid action #1: don't listen to player or trainer, and put James in a shed
Stupid action #2: don't listen to player and put James in a shed again
Stupid action #3: act like a tough guy and don't apologize to a high-profile family for your selfish, incorrect actions
Stupid action #4: take your employer (the university) to court five days before you are due $800,000

What a dummy. As a university who previously employed Bobby Knight in basketball, why would you want this nonsense around? Don't take my word for it? Listen to what Kirk Herbstreit says...

Alamo Bowl: Michigan State Depth Chart vs Texas Tech

(significant lineup changes in bold)

-----OFFENSE-----
QB - 8 Kirk Cousins, 6-3, 202, So
- 9 Keith Nichol, 6-2, 215, So
RB - 22 Larry Caper, 5-11, 215, Fr
- 4 Edwin Baker, 5-9, 200, Fr
FB - 45 Andrew Hawken, 6-2, 248, Sr
- 42 Andrew Pendy, 6-2, 240, Sr
WR - 82 Keshawn Martin, 5-11, 185, So
- 87 Milton Colbert, 6-4, 210, R-Fr.
WR - 25 Blair White, 6-2, 200, Sr
- 81 Brad Sonntag , 5-8, 177, So.
TE - 83 Charlie Gantt, 6-5, 248, Jr
- 88 Brian Linthicum, 6-5, 245, So
OT - 57 Rocco Cironi, 6-6, 209, Sr
- 71 John Deyo, 6-6, 298, Fr
OG - 67 Joel Foreman, 6-4, 306, So
- 68 Ethan Ruhland, 6-5, 293, Fr
C - 65 Joel Nitchman, 6-4, 296, Sr
- 66 John Stipek, 6-5, 306, Sr
OG - 64 Brendon Moss, 6-7, 284, Sr
- 75 Jared McGaha, 6-6, 298, So
OT - 59 D.J. Young, 6-5, 310, Jr
- 64 Brendon Moss, 6-7, 284, Sr

-----DEFENSE-----
DE - 58 Trevor Anderson, 6-2, 260, Sr
- 91 Tyler Hoover, 6-7, 260, Fr
DT - 70 Oren Wilson, 6-3, 294, Jr
- 98 Blake Treadwell, 6-3, 272, Fr
DT - 99 Jerel Worthy, 6-3, 292, Fr
- 96 Kevin Pickelman, 6-4, 268, So
DE - 89 Colin Neely, 6-1, 248, Jr
- 54 David Rolf, 6-4, 228, So
LB - 34 Brandon Denson, 5-11, 230, Sr
- 10 Chris Norman, 6-1, 215, Fr
LB - 53 Greg Jones, 6-1, 228, Jr
- 55 Adam Decker, 6-3, 238, Sr
LB - 43 Eric Gordon, 6-0, 228, Jr
- 36 Jon Misch, 6-3, 207, Jr
DB - 38 Kendell Davis-Clark, 6-0, 216, Sr
- 31 Ashton Henderson, 5-11, 189, Sr
DB - 9 Jeremy Ware, 5-10, 191, Sr
- 37 Ross Weaver, 6-1, 203, Sr
S- 33 Dan Fortener, 6-2, 205, Sr
- 11 Marcus Hyde, 6-0, 206, Jr
S - 39 Trenton Robinson, 5-10, 190, So
- 26 Jesse Johnson, 5-10, 188, Jr.

-----SPECIAL TEAMS-----
P - 18 Aaron Bates, 6-0, 192, Jr
K - 14 Brett Swenson, 5-8, 185, Sr
LS - 56 Alex Shackelton, 6-2, 245, Jr
PR - 82 Keshawn Martin, 5-11, 185, So
- 25 Blair White, 6-2, 200, Sr
KR - 4 Edwin Baker, 5-9, 200, Fr
- 20 AJ Jimmerson, 5-10, 205, Sr

Leach to be fired - ESPN sources

UPDATE: 9 am on ESPN.com

According to ESPN tonight at halftime of tonight's EagleBank Bowl (Temple 21, UCLA 10 by the way), "sources closed to [ESPN reporter] Joe Schad state that the university will try to have Leach fired" before the Thursday deadline whereby Texas Tech coach Mike Leach will earn an extra $800,000. This is who Michigan State plays on Saturday in the Alamo Bowl, and in the meantime you can watch the betting line bend more and more in Michigan State's favor. Stay tuned on that.

In the meantime, yes, he done did it! Mike Leach filed a request for a temporary restraining order against Texas Tech to allow him to coach in the Suspension Bowl. A hearing will be held at the 99th Texas District court tomorrow morning. This may be moot, however, if Leach is terminated the following day.

"Attorney for Coach Mike Leach has filed a petition in Lubbock to temporarily stop Leach's suspension. According to the petition, Mike Leach seeks that the court enter an order restraining Texas Tech University from suspending Mike Leach from coaching the football team."

Let the entertainment begin! The game has started four days early, with the coach playing offense against his own school. The ES roars in laughter. Distraction, ha ha ha.

Word to the wise: don't sue your boss, nor your employer. It will likely just piss them off even more. Wow, Mike Leach is a COMPLETE IDIOT. Leach thinks he is all powerful and forgets who is in charge - the university!

Alamo Bowl near sellout

Spartan fans traveling to San Antonio for the Alamo Bowl expected to be outmanned in the stands when its team travels over 1,000 miles from its home to play a team in its home state. That's the case at the Alamo Bowl, where it looks like it is going to be a sellout of 65,000 seats... and the majority will be wearing red and black.

Tech sold 14,800 tickets through its athletic ticket office, according to assistant athletic director Dave Welsh. A Michigan State spokesman said through last weekend MSU had sold about half its allotment, which would be about 5,500 tickets.

Now, we just need to break out about 5,000 gallons of green and white body paint and the Spartan Nation will be all set.

So, if you still need tickets, link here.

Bookies are divided over Leach suspension

OK – so the lines are going both ways following the suspension of Texas Tech coach Mike Leach. There is no consistency yet from the bookies, some still have TTU as an 8-pt favorite, some down to a 7-pt favorite, some haven’t changed.

TOWARD MICHIGAN STATE (3)
Cal Neva, Hilton, moved toward MSU, from TTU – 8 to TTU -7.5; Leroy’s moved from TTU -8 to TTU -7 since the announcement.

TOWARD TEXAS TECH (2)
M Resort moved toward TTU, up from TTU -8 to -8.5; Caesars moved toward TTU, up from TTU -7 to -8.

NO MOVEMENT (7)
Stations is consistent at TTU -8, but last night moved briefly to TTU -8.5. The Stratosphere, Venetian, Peppermill, Mirage, LVSC, and Atlantis each have not moved and are at TTU -8.

Suspension Bowl line still at TTU -8

OK, after the ES' rant and rave on Mike Leach's reported stupidity, the ES settles down and goes back to read more on the game and previews. Mind you, the suspension because of player mistreatment is directed at serious medical and ethical issues that will be very difficult for Leach to get out from under. Bottom line, regardless of how players, coaches, and parents get along... as a coach you are in hot water if you don't listen to a trainer's recommendations. If communication is a problem, then deal with the communication issue... locking a high-profile kid in a room doesn't solve that; and Leach has learned that the hard way.

This is a bit different then Leach earlier this spring making a player study for an hour in a blizzard on the 50-yard line because he missed study hall; that was directed at encouraging the kid to learn, although you question that punishment as well... I'm sure the kid didn't get much done (ummm, maybe he is there to play football and doesn't want to learn? Not sure if standing in a blizzard solves that).

ES still shakes his head in astonishment at this one.

THE LATEST LINE
Still not a lot of movement yet on the betting lines, as all continue to hover around 8 or 8 1/2 in TTU's favor. However, Leroy's Casino dropped from 8 to 7 1/2 after the news of the Leach suspension hit.

SUSPENSION BOWL
ES had to laugh at comment from Louis... should we rename this from the Alamo Bowl to the "Suspension Bowl"

Tech coach Mike Leach suspended for uncaring, unethical treatment of player

Does Mike Leach have as lack of empathy and compassion for his football players as was reported by ESPN today? Leach has been SUSPENDED by Texas Tech University for the Alamo Bowl because he reportedly told a trainer to confine one of his players to a dark (equipment) room (to stand up for hours on end) after the player was diagonsed with a mild concussion and an elevated heart rate in a December 17 practice. Not once, but TWICE. And, the complaint from the family of the player is that it was coach Leach WHO TOLD THE TRAINER how to take care of the player (ok, so if a doctor told you that you had an illness or cancer or whatever, would you then ask your employer or teacher about how to care for it?). If this is true, THEN LEACH IS AN INCONSIDERATE, UNCARING BASTARD, A MEAN INDIVIDUAL, AND A COMPLETE IDIOT. He may have lost sight of his true mission, and thusly, it is the cost of winning in major college football. But, it is no excuse. If this is true, this is the same level of mistreatment that led to Kansas dismissing Mark Mangino. And, if so, does TTU have the same level of compassion for its players, or does it value winning more at the cost of players' health? Let us see how the investigation unfolds and how they handle this. Already, Leach is stating that he DID tell the trainers how to take care of the player (inappropriately, if true) - but if that is the case the ES finds it hard to believe Leach has a leg to stand on. Because it happened twice. Or, maybe Leach is a medical doctor or licensed trainer?

By the way, who was that player? None other than Adam James, the son of Craig James, ESPN all-world reporter and former star player with Eric Dickerson on that Southern Methodist team in the early 1980s. In Lubbock, RedRaiders.com reports that James was acting "like a slacker and his father like a Little League dad."

To be fair, Leach's attorney responds that James “was placed in an equipment room as it was much cooler and darker [than the practice field] after a doctor had examined him and returned him to the field.” And, “Mike tries to keep the players that are unable to practice as close as he can.” Sorry, this is backtracking that sounds eerily like fellow southerners George W Bush and Bill Clinton. And, the ES ain't buying it. If he had any balls, he would acknowledge what he did was wrong and man up. But, instead he will likely deny everything and lie to his firing squad...

EFFECT ON ALAMO BOWL
Originally, it was Michigan State and the 14 suspended players that had a significant distraction for the upcoming game. Maybe, now it is even with the Leach distraction and suspension? What is worse - players stupidity or coach stupidity? This has huge implications for the Alamo Bowl, as Leach is a master motivator and Xs and Os guy down in Red Raider land. You can argue he may do more with less than any other coach in the country - as far as getting more Ws with the least amount of talent, and with a crazy scheme. Give a huge advantage to Michigan State in this game at this point. Going into today, the spread from the bookies in Vegas was MSU an 8-point underdog. Let's see how this changes in the next few days.

DOES LEACH GIVE A SHIT?
But, it leads to the question - does he really give a shit about his players welfare, or is he just treating them like meat? On the surface, this is borderline unethical; certainly uncaring.

In the past month, the ES attended an NCAA meeting with representatives from several coaches associations and other student affairs associations, and one of the things that was discussed was the need for education of coaches because "they need to understand the holistic environment of college for athletes as students instead of just treating players like meat." There was plenty of backlash by the coaches association ("we've had enough education") - and rightly so, as the vast majority of coaches care about their players' health and welfare. But, there ARE those extenuating circumstances and cases in which coaches (ummmm.... TTU's Leach, Kansas' Mangino, maybe like RR down in Ann Arbor pushing players beyond their off-season required limits ?) push their players too far because of the pressures to win. And, if it happens, then education IS still necessary. Too often, it is the rotten apple that spoils the bunch, no?

Northwestern men hoops ranked first time since 1969; it is Michigan State's 44th week in a row

Here is the most recent basketball poll. Kudos for Northwestern for making in the AP Top 25 list for the first time since the ES was only 6 months old... in January 1969. That's 40 years! It was before man even landed on the moon. But, this is the AP -- they ain't buying it over at the USA Today poll, where N'western sits at #30.

As a comparison, Michigan State's men's basketball team has been ranked in the AP Top 25 each and every week since the beginning of the 2007 season. That's 44 straight weeks in the regular season.

Still, it's pretty nice to have them as company for once. Welcome to our world, Wildcat fans!

AP Top 25

1. Kansas (52) 11-0 1,607

2. Texas (11) 11-0 1,556

3. Kentucky (1) 13-0 1,476

4. Purdue 11-0 1,407

5. Syracuse (1) 12-0 1,398

6. West Virginia 10-0 1,309

7. Duke 9-1 1,241

8. Villanova 11-1 1,177

9. North Carolina 9-3 1,033

10. Connecticut 9-2 1,002

11. Michigan State 9-3 910

12. Kansas State 11-1 892

13. Georgetown 9-1 813

14. Tennessee 9-2 664

15. Ohio State 10-2 605

16. Mississippi 10-2 544

17. Washington 9-2 490

18. Temple 9-2 403

19. New Mexico 12-1 352

20. Texas Tech 10-1 334

21. Clemson 11-2 300

22. Florida State 11-2 252

23. Wisconsin 10-2 180

24. UAB 11-1 178

25. Northwestern 10-1 144

Others Receiving Votes Gonzaga 129, Georgia Tech 102, Dayton 94, Texas A&M 91, Florida 76, Miami (FL) 60, Brigham Young 55, Oklahoma State 37, Wichita State 35, USC 27, UNLV 26, Butler 19, Memphis 16, Mississippi State 13, Wake Forest 12, St. John's 10, Virginia Tech 7, California 7, Cincinnati 7, Baylor 7, Cornell 5, Missouri State 5, Northern Iowa 5, Rhode Island 5, William & Mary 5, Seton Hall 2, Army 1. Dropped From Rankings Florida 18, Texas A&M 19, Butler 20, Gonzaga 25.

MSU needs its OL to pave the way; TTU at... the University of the Incarnate Word?

The Michigan State football team left East Lansing and arrived in San Antonio on Sunday to begin its preparations for the January 2 stint against Texas Tech in the Alamo Bowl (ESPN, 9 pm). If you are in the Lone Star State, head on over to San Antonio and give a high-five to Mark Dantonio and the Big Green. As of noon, they are smack-dab in the middle of a 2 1/2- hour workout.

Great articles in today's Freep and M-Live stating the obvious: if MSU is to win, the Spartans need to control the line of scrimmage. In particular, the Spartan offensive line needs to create a sustained running game, with long drives to give its defense a rest and a chance.

• SPARTAN LINKS
• Spartan headquarters is the Marriott Riverwalk.
• Spartan football practice is at Alamo Heights High School.
• Need an immediate Spartan gridder fix? MSU Football twitter updates here.

• TTU LINKS
• Disrupt the Red Raiders' practice at University of the Incarnate Word (yes, you read that correctly).
• Texas Tech blog: www.doubletnation.com

• MATCHUPS of MSU-TTU via the Double T Nation:
• Special Teams: KR Eric Davis vs KR Keshawn Martin. "[Martin is] still averaging 30.35 yards per return. This is going to be an intriguing storyline as the Red Raiders rank 2nd in the Big 12 in return yardage allowed, only 19.34 per return. That's close to a ten yard difference from what MSU is averaging and what the Red Raiders are allowing."
• Defense: SS Cody Dvis vs. QB Kirk Cousins. "When we look back at the results of this game, it wouldn't surprise me in the least to think that how these two lines play [TTU OL and MSU DL] will decide the game.
• Offense: RB Baron Batch vs. LB Greg Jones. "I don't know if the Texas Tech coaching staff is in a bit of a quandary in that the Michigan St. pass defense is obviously vulnerable, but the Texas Tech offense has had much more success when they run the ball."

Here are Texas Tech's statistics:

Category	National Rank	Actual	National Leader	Actual	Conf Rank	Big 12 Conference Leader	Actual
Rushing Offense	115	81.08	Nevada	362.25	12	Oklahoma St.	191.75
Passing Offense	2	380.67	Houston	450.00	1	Texas Tech	380.67
Total Offense	7	461.75	Houston	581.23	2	Texas A&M	465.33
Scoring Offense	9	36.67	Boise St.	44.15	2	Texas	40.69
Rushing Defense	37	125.00	Texas	62.15	7	Texas	62.15
Pass Efficiency Defense	34	116.43	Alabama	88.81	5	Nebraska	90.54
Total Defense	46	348.75	TCU	233.25	6	Texas	251.08
Scoring Defense	T-35	21.75	Alabama	11.00	4	Nebraska	11.23
Net Punting	73	34.98	Georgia	42.84	7	Oklahoma	40.86
Punt Returns	T-49	9.79	LSU	18.64	7	Oklahoma	16.72
Kickoff Returns	17	24.48	TCU	30.62	3	Texas	27.38
Turnover Margin	T-94	-.50	Rutgers	1.54	11	Texas	.92
Pass Defense	73	223.75	Air Force	148.67	5	Oklahoma	184.92
Passing Efficiency	26	142.67	Cincinnati	166.19	2	Texas	143.70
Sacks	2	3.25	Pittsburgh	3.67	1	Texas Tech	3.25
Tackles For Loss	30	6.58	Middle Tenn.	8.83	4	Texas	8.08
Sacks Allowed	91	2.50	Boise St.	.38	9	Oklahoma St.	.83

Progress to graduation of football bowl teams: MSU ranks 57 of 68

OK, so we know that Alabama vs Texas will compete for the national title... and that Michigan State will take on Texas Tech on January 2 AFTER the Rose Bowl. But, how well do the players on these teams fare when you consider them on path toward graduation?

The ES wuz curious and looked at the numbers for ALL the bowl teams (all 68 of them), considering the Academic Percentage Rate (APR) compiled by the NCAA each year. MSU is ranked 57th out of 68 teams with an APR of 931 (the benchmark is 925, which equates to a 50% graduation rate, and below which teams are susceptible to penalties).

FYI - the dismissal of Winston and Jenrette will bring these numbers down for MSU and depending on the progress of others (and other potential dismissals or departures) could lead to potential of the Spartans numbers dropping below the 925 threshold and forced to create an academic improvement plan. One other important thing: just because players are closer to graduation, doesn't mean they are learning anything... there is no measure for that.

#	School	APR
1	Stanford	984
2	Air Force	983
3	Rutgers	980
4	Navy	978
5	Miami	977
6	Georgia	976
7	Penn State	976
8	Northwestern	973
9	Cal	970
10	BC	970
11	Ohio State	968
12	Boise St	966
13	Florida	963
14	TCU	962
15	Central Florida	960
16	LSU	960
17	Georgia Tech	957
18	Southern Cal	956
19	Clemson	955
20	Alabama	955
21	Utah	954
22	Wisconsin	953
23	Oklahoma	952
24	UConn	951
25	Missouri	951
26	Nebraska	950
27	Tennessee	949
28	Auburn	949
29	Ohio	949
30	Fresno State	948
31	UCLA	948
32	Kentucky	948
33	Northern Illinois	947
34	Cincinnati	947
35	SMU	947
36	UNC	947
37	Texas A&M	946
38	Iowa	946
39	Nevada	945
40	MTSU	945
41	Troy	945
42	Southern Miss	944
43	Pittsburgh	944
44	Houston	942
45	BYU	942
46	Marshall	939
47	WVU	939
48	Oklahoma St	939
49	Texas	939
50	Wyoming	939
51	Iowa State	935
52	TTU	935
53	Oregon	935
54	VTU	932
55	Florida St	932
56	East Carolina	932
57	Michigan State	931
58	Oregon St	930
59	CMU	930
60	South Carolina	929
61	Arkansas	927
62	Arizona	924
63	BGSU	920
64	Minnesota	915
65	Mississippi	910
66	South Florida	909
67	Idaho	905
68	Temple	891

10 days to MSU vs TTU shootout in Alamo Bowl. Preview time!

Really? Just 10 days to kickoff vs. Texas Tech in the Alamo Bowl? It seems anti-climactic to play in a lesser bowl the day AFTER the Rose Bowl. Strange, but 'tis our bidding. We earned strange.

Need some tickets? Try here.

Here are some early previews:

• "Texas Tech vs MSU in Alamo Bowl: Do past results tell us anything?" Rivalry, Esq.
• "MSU seeks win, redemption." San Antonio Express
• "Alamo Bowl preview." The Bleacher Report
  
• "Texas Tech Solid Favorite." USA Players
• "Tech to Play Michigan State." Daily Toreador
  
• "Caper is what is right about MSU." Battle Creek Enquirer
• "Michigan State coach turns attention to Texas Tech." AP/SI.com
• "Spartans faced with Texas (Tech) - sized task." Freep
• "Cousins says Spartans embrace challenge." Mlive.com
• "Red Raiders coach wary of talented Spartans." San Antonio Express
• "Dantonio faces his biggest challenge." Freep
• "Spartan suspensions lead to musical chairs." Detroit News
• "Alamo Bowl Odds" BetFirms.com,

Live Chat: MSU vs Texas hoops

Just messing around, we'll see how much the ES chimes in on this. But, I'm at home with a six-pack. Tirhg now, UT 21, MSU 16. Let's see if the ES jinx em. ES sez we still win - how about 82-80. We're in the game just fine now, playing alright.

OH well, Spartans ran out of gas, 79-68 loss to Texas. That's ok - we'll be fine come March.

Texas favored by 7 vs Michigan State in hoops

Looks like Texas is a TD favorite (-7) in men's hoops against the Spartans tomorrow night in Austin. Meanwhile the Big Green moves up to #9 in the latest AP and USA Today polls (the women are #16).

AP Top 25

1. Kansas (55) 10-0 1,611

2. Texas (7) 10-0 1,543

3. Kentucky (1) 11-0 1,477

4. Purdue 10-0 1,422

5. Syracuse (2) 11-0 1,397

6. West Virginia 8-0 1,290

7. Duke 9-1 1,249

8. Villanova 10-1 1,175

9. Michigan State 9-2 1,046

10. North Carolina 8-3 959

11. Connecticut 7-2 950

12. Kansas State 10-1 810

13. New Mexico 12-0 707

14. Georgetown 8-1 676

15. Mississippi 10-1 624

16. Tennessee 8-2 616

17. Ohio State 9-2 562

18. Florida 8-2 519

19. Texas A&M 9-2 320

20. Butler 8-3 315

21. Temple 9-2 244

22. Washington 7-2 194

23. Texas Tech 9-1 192

24. Clemson 10-2 151

25. Gonzaga 8-3 146

Others Receiving Votes Florida State 127, UNLV 126, Wisconsin 96, Northwestern89, Georgia Tech 76, St. John's 53, Miami (FL) 50, Missouri State 45, Dayton 39, UAB 29, Oklahoma State 29, Charlotte 29, Saint Mary's 21, Brigham Young 20, Wichita State 18, Memphis 16, Tulsa 12, North Carolina State 11, Cincinnati 9, Mississippi State 8, Baylor 6, Wake Forest 4, William & Mary 3, Virginia Tech 3, California 3, Richmond 2, Western Carolina 2, Army 1, Northern Iowa 1, Pittsburgh 1, Rhode Island 1.

A Lone Star Spartan Holiday Season

Time for the Big Green to put that push that toasted desert of a state into the Gulf of Mexico this holiday season. Michigan State faces Texas Tech in the Alamo Bowl on January 2, and tomorrow will travel down to Austin to face the Texas Longhorns on the hardwood. We all know Santa is a Spartan, and he will bring a can of whoop-ass to Texas this week.

So, the Spartans are 8 point underdogs in the Alamo Bowl to Texas Tech. Started out as 6 1/2 point 'dogs, now it is up to 8. Everyone is putting their money on the high-flying Red Raiders -- and who could blame 'em? With the suspensions to umpteen Spartan players, two wideouts and RB suspended who would have likely seen playing time... yes, Mr. MD certainly has his work cut out.

BIG HOLIDAY HOOPS SHOWDOWN: BRING ON TEXAS

The Michigan State Spartans - Texas Longhorns shootout is scheduled on Tuesday, at 7 pm. You can watch the game on ESPN 2. Of course, #2 and 10-0 Texas is coming off a big 103-90 victory over #11 North Carolina before 38,000 fans at the new stadium for the Cowboys. Noone hit that big jumbotron TV with a basketball. The ES can't find a line on the game yet, but last year the Horns were favored by 5 1/2 when we went down there and whipped their arse.

MSU has won the last three meetings between the teams; In fact, Michigan State has never lost to UT during the regular season. In each of the previous meetings, Texas was ranked higher yet Izzo and the Big Green prevailed the last three times. Time to make it a fourseome?

• Dec 20, 2008. #19 MSU 67, #5 Texas 63. at Houston, TX.
• Dec. 22, 2007. #9 MSU 78, #4 Texas 72. at Auburn Hills, MI.
• Nov. 16, 2006. #NR MSU 63, #19 Texas 61. at New York, NY.
• Mar. 30, 2003. #1 Texas 85, #7 MSU 76. NCAA Elite Eight.

YELLOW BELLIES ARE IRRELEVANT
Yes, the rankings are not out yet, but at least we can look at Jeff Sagarin to see where the Big Ten stands so far... and, Michigan, ranked at #162, is irrelevant as a basketball team this year, once again. The garbage they call basketball in Ann Arbor proves that the Big Least and WVU are no match for the Big Ten... but making it to the NCAA tournament once every 10 years ain't so bad now, is it?

Here's Sagarin, through Sunday. This week, Michigan State is the only Big Ten team facing competition ranked by the media poll (AP) or coaches poll (USA Today). And, when considering Sagarin ratings, MSU faces #1 Texas.. the next closest competition is Minnesota facing #48 San Diego State.

Purdue #5. Next up: Southern Illinois.
Wisconsin #17. Next up: Wisc-Milwaukee, Illinois-Chicago.
Ohio State #19. Next up: Cleveland St.
Big Green #26. Next up: #1 Texas
Minnesota #39. Next up: San Diego St.
Northwestern #42. Next up: Central Connecticut St.
Illinois #78. Next up: Missouri.
Joe Pa #142. Next up: American Univ.
Michigan #162. Next up: Coppin St.
Indiana #175. Next up: Loyola-MD, Bryant
Iowa #192. Next up: S. Carolina St.

ES College Bowl Pick 'Em; Spartan Hoops #1

Hey, the ES invites the Spartan Nation to play along in the College Bowl Pick 'Em game via Yahoo Sports. The winner of the ES' College Bowl Pick 'Em will win a pair of tickets to the Michigan State vs Iowa men's basketball game on January 13, at 6:30 pm.

Link below to play and follow along - you need to sign up with a Yahoo ID, but once you do, you are IN. First bowl game is the New Mexico Bowl this Saturday, at 4:30 pm - so that is when the selection process will be closed for picks.

Yahoo Pick 'Em: link here
Group #: 36800
The password is: gostate

Again, you need a Yahoo ID for this to work. Good luck!

SI: MSU HOOPS BEST IN THE NATION
Damn, that's sweet. Seth Davis over at Sports Illustrated named Michigan State as the men's basketball team of the decade -- above UNC and Florida. Read about it

Big Ten Expansion Is on the Docket. Let Thy Count the Possibilities

Yes, Money Does rule the day. The day after the ES sez that the Big Ten is more likely to add hockey than expand to 12... well, the Big Ten issues a statement in which its Council of Presidents asked Commissioner Jim Delaney for a recommendation of schools to approach IF the Big Ten were to consider expansion. The Big Ten Network covered their statement with input that Big Ten presidents may receive considerations within 12-18 months. See the video below.

But first up, the most likely nominations? The ES shows distance from East Lansing. A current NACDA/Learfield Sports' Directors Cup (formerly Sears Cup) ranking is also provided as food for fodder to consider competitiveness of the full athletics program. FYI - Michigan State is ranked #13 so far. Ranking is listing by the ES in order of best fit for the Big Ten.

1. Notre Dame (147 miles from EL. Cup: #39). Won't happen unless they give up FB independent status. NBC football TV contract worth $9 million will expire by 2015 and is already equated by Big Ten Network revenues; Big Ten also receives $19 million per school from CBS & ESPN for all sports -- something Big East can't match. Negative is ND Not an AAU member.

2. Pittsburgh (283 miles. Cup: NR). Big Least - its closer than Joe Pa (454 miles). Has a lean 17-sport program. Pitt is an AAU member. Strong in football and hoops.

3. Missouri (411 miles. Cup: NR). Big Twelve. KC Star already on this possibility. A long-time AAU member, with a robust athletics program. A total of 20 sports. Strong in both football and hoops.

4. Syracuse (466 miles. Cup: #5). Big Least. Accepted into the AAU two years after Michigan State. A total of 20 sports, including women's ice hockey. Terrible football, strong hoops.

5. Iowa State (562 miles. Cup: #19). Big Twelve. An AAU member. A very lean 16-sports, average football, good hoops. Likely just too far, and too small.

6. Rutgers (682 miles. Cup: NR). Big Least. A recent AAU addition. The Knights have 22 sports. Recently strong in football, great women's hoops teams. The Big knock is they are just too far, and again a smaller institution.

7. Nebraska (728 miles. Cup: NR). Big Twelve. Another long-time AAU member. One of the historically strongest athletic programs in the nation. Strong football, and Olympic sports. 21 total sports. However, many historical ties to Big Twelve (former Southwest Conference) schools. And, likely too far.

Others? Louisville, Cincinnati, Memphis... May the dominoes fall. The ES still sez that ice hockey is a greater possibility than a 12th member. But, let us revisit in 2012.

MSU to earn $1.5 million for Alamo Bowl trip

Michigan State will reap $1. 5 million to head to the Alamo Bowl, which will most likely cover expenses -- and potentially any unsold ticket allotment not picked up by Spartan fans. That's pretty good for a 6-6 team; Ohio State, which heads to the Rose Bowl, gets just $2.2 million off a $18.3 million pay day -- the rest is shared equally by Big Ten teams. So, while MSU had a disappointing season, it is only $700,000 away from an equal pay day as Big Ten champion Ohio State.

BIG TEN

Bowl: School — Payout/Allotment

Rose: Ohio State — $18.3M/$2.2M
Orange: Iowa — $4.5M/$1.95M
Capital One: Penn State — $4.5M/$1.7M
Outback: Northwestern — $3.3M/$1.7M
Alamo: Michigan State — $2.25M/$1.5M
Champs: Sports Wisconsin — $2.25M/$1.5M
Insight: Minnesota — $1.35M/$1.35M

Totals: $36.275M/$11.9M

New MSU Art Museum Animation

OK, this isn't exactly athletics, but pretty freaking cool nonetheless. The new MSU Art Museum, the "Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum" fly through animation as created by architect Zaha Hadid.



Sweet, very sweet. Ground breaking on March 15. This is GOOD, what a university with vision can do in two years and respond to a need. This, as opposed to the City of East Lansing continuing to bungle City Center II, extension after extension for more than five years, trying to take a blighted corner and create more unnecessary retail and housing. This, in a long-term down economy and creating more retail space on a street with never-ending revolving-door occupancy... Why not listen to residents' requests the last several years for more green space? Downscale the $115 million plan to make it affordable and reasonable. Create a plan that is adjustable. But, the dimwits at EL City Hall are too proud to tell the residents "you were right! It costs too much and we don't need it!"

MSU #12 men's hoops, #13 ice hockey, #16 women's hoops

A healthy time for Michigan State in college athletics. In men's hoops, MSU is ranked #12 in both polls (Jeff Sagarin puts MSU at #23, CollegeRPI has MSU #59). In women's hoops, MSU is ranked #16 in the AP poll. In the UCHO men's ice hockey poll, MSU is #13. And, the best part about it? The scUM Yellow Bellies ain't ranked anywhere.

ESPN/USA Today Men's Basketball Poll: MSU #12.

1. Kansas (30) 9-0 774

2. Texas 8-0 735

3. Kentucky (1) 10-0 701

4. Purdue 9-0 675

5. Syracuse 10-0 658

6. West Virginia 7-0 631

7. Duke 7-1 547

8. Tennessee 7-1 528

9. Villanova 9-1 524

10. North Carolina 8-2 497

11. Georgetown 8-0 494

12. Michigan State 8-2 423

13. Florida 8-1 367

14. Connecticut 6-2 358

15. Georgia Tech 6-1 229

15. Gonzaga 8-2 229

17. Butler 7-3 184

18. Ohio State 7-2 176

19. New Mexico 10-0 164

20. Texas Tech 9-0 150

21. Washington 6-2 146

22. Kansas State 9-1 136

23. UNLV 7-1 112

24. Clemson 8-2 110

25. Mississippi 8-1 77

Others Receiving Votes Cincinnati 76, Texas A&M 58, Wisconsin 58, Illinois 25, Temple 24, Memphis 21, Florida State 20, Brigham Young 17, Saint Mary's 17, Oklahoma State 15, Wake Forest 15, St. John's 14, Charlotte 14, Northwestern 13, Seton Hall 9, Dayton 9, Tulsa 9, Washington State 9, William & Mary 9, California 7, Missouri State 3, Western Carolina 3, Mississippi State 2, Northern Iowa 1, Baylor 1, Coastal Carolina 1. Dropped From Rankings Texas A&M 18, Cincinnati 19, Wisconsin 23.

What about RPI Ratings for men's basketball? MSU sits at a pretty #59 in the most up to date collegerpi.com ratings.

Rank	School	W-L	RPI	Rank	Rating	AP	USA
1	Duke	7-1	0.7406	1	0.6899	8	8
2	Kansas St	8-1	0.7182	2	0.6670
3	West Virginia	7-0	0.6944	27	0.5926	6	7
4	Texas	8-0	0.6809	42	0.5746	2	2
5	St. John's	8-1	0.6806	20	0.6027
6	Temple	8-2	0.6792	8	0.6302
7	Purdue	9-0	0.6747	56	0.5663	5	5
8	New Mexico	10-0	0.6716	62	0.5622
9	Connecticut	6-2	0.6655	3	0.6651	14	12
10	Syracuse	10-0	0.6655	73	0.5539	7	6
11	Washington	6-2	0.6640	5	0.6546	17	16
12	Southern Miss	3-1	0.6623	30	0.5915
13	Villanova	9-1	0.6586	51	0.5686	3	3
14	Western Carolina	8-1	0.6574	55	0.5664
15	Georgetown	8-0	0.6569	94	0.5426	15	13
16	California	6-3	0.6544	4	0.6631
17	Texas A&M	7-2	0.6518	11	0.6213	16	18
18	William & Mary	6-2	0.6471	28	0.5920
19	Kansas	9-0	0.6458	117	0.5278	1	1
20	Kentucky	10-0	0.6454	118	0.5272	4	4
21	VCU	6-2	0.6414	26	0.5933
22	Tulsa	6-1	0.6410	50	0.5689
23	Missouri St	9-0	0.6402	134	0.5203
24	Cornell	7-2	0.6365	40	0.5807
25	Dayton	7-2	0.6359	25	0.5958
26	Texas Tech	9-0	0.6359	151	0.5145	23
27	UNLV	6-1	0.6336	38	0.5822	18	17
28	North Carolina St	7-1	0.6302	53	0.5683
29	Northern Iowa	7-1	0.6282	83	0.5481
30	San Diego St	7-2	0.6262	76	0.5529
31	Wisconsin	7-2	0.6252	39	0.5810	20	23
32	Richmond	7-2	0.6239	60	0.5630
33	Mississippi	8-1	0.6220	98	0.5410	25
34	St. Mary's	6-1	0.6205	69	0.5571
35	Tennessee	7-1	0.6196	91	0.5449	9	9
36	Vanderbilt	5-3	0.6161	9	0.6270		25
37	Butler	7-3	0.6141	35	0.5855	22	20
38	Long Beach	3-4	0.6107	7	0.6333
39	Rhode Island	8-1	0.6087	167	0.5038
40	Northwestern	7-1	0.6085	93	0.5428
41	Oklahoma St	8-1	0.6048	164	0.5054
42	Harvard	7-2	0.6041	125	0.5234
43	Xavier	6-3	0.6014	22	0.5998
44	Virginia Tech	8-1	0.5986	169	0.5035
45	Clemson	8-2	0.5982	85	0.5476		24
46	Ohio State	7-2	0.5978	81	0.5497	13	15
47	Loyola (Chicago)	5-2	0.5976	109	0.5325
48	Gonzaga	7-2	0.5961	86	0.5469	21	22
49	Mississippi St	7-2	0.5951	61	0.5627
50	Pittsburgh	8-2	0.5949	84	0.5476
51	Seton Hall	8-0	0.5944	246	0.4593
52	Coastal Carolina	5-2	0.5927	108	0.5331
53	Western Kentucky	5-3	0.5895	41	0.5801
54	Minnesota	7-3	0.5887	44	0.5720
55	Maryland	5-3	0.5880	23	0.5977
56	Hofstra	6-3	0.5862	57	0.5654
57	Georgia Tech	6-1	0.5860	159	0.5098	24	21
58	Florida	8-1	0.5856	187	0.4925	10	11
59	Michigan St	8-2	0.5852	140	0.5171	12	14
60	Florida St	7-2	0.5851	173	0.5009

ICE HOCKEY NATIONAL RANKINGS

USCHO.com Division I Men's Poll: MSU #13

	Team	(First Place Votes)	Record	Points	Last Poll
1	Miami	(48)	13-2-5	998	1
2	Denver	( 2)	11-5-2	900	2
3	Colorado College		11-4-3	841	6
4	Cornell		7-2-2	805	5
5	Boston College		10-3-2	717	10
6	North Dakota		9-6-3	672	3
7	Wisconsin		11-5-2	657	11
8	Quinnipiac		13-3-1	639	7
9	Yale		7-3-2	609	8
10	Bemidji State		13-4-1	594	4
11	Ferris State		13-3-2	556	13
12	Minnesota-Duluth		11-6-1	434	12
13	Michigan State		12-6-2	419	14
14	Mass.-Lowell		10-6-1	418	9
15	Massachusetts		10-5-0	365	15
16	New Hampshire		8-6-3	209	19
17	Alaska		9-5-4	183	16
18	Union		8-3-5	164	20
19	St. Cloud State		8-7-3	120	17
20	Notre Dame		8-8-4	71	18
Others Receiving Votes: Maine 42, Vermont 32, Michigan 23, Minnesota State 11, Colgate 7, Lake Superior 6, RIT 4, Minnesota 3, Nebraska-Omaha 1

AP Women's Basketball Rankings: MSU at #16.

1.	Connecticut (40)	8-0	1000
2.	Stanford	7-0	957
3.	Tennessee	8-0	901
4.	Notre Dame	9-0	900
5.	LSU	7-0	795
6.	Baylor	8-1	762
7.	Duke	7-1	752
8.	Ohio State	10-1	698
9.	North Carolina	8-1	663
10.	Florida State	8-0	641
11.	Georgia	9-0	624
12.	Xavier	7-1	575
13.	Texas A&M	7-1	509
14.	Arizona State	7-1	486
15.	Oklahoma	8-2	395
16.	Michigan State	7-3	293
17.	Texas	5-3	282
18.	Vanderbilt	9-1	270
19.	Virginia	7-2	267
20.	Nebraska	10-0	262
21.	Pittsburgh	8-1	247
22.	Kansas	7-2	152
23.	Wisconsin-Green Bay	9-0	94
24.	James Madison	7-0	92
25.	Georgia Tech	6-2	81
OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES Dayton 56, Syracuse 28, Oklahoma State 26, West Virginia 22, Temple 21, St. John's 18, California 16, DePaul 16, Maryland 16, TCU 13, Hartford 12, Oregon 9, Gonzaga 8, St. Bonaventure 7, Texas Tech 7, Mississippi State 6, Iowa State 5, Northwestern 5, Miami (FL) 4, Georgetown 2, Kentucky 2, Wyoming 2, Penn State 1,

Big Ten ice hockey more likely than 12th team

Adam Rittenberg writes in today's ESPN blog that Big Ten conference commissioner Jim Delaney may be asked by several coaches and athletic directors to investigate bringing a 12th team into the Big Ten. Said Alvarez, ""I just think everybody feels [expansion] is the direction to go, coaches and administrators... We're irrelevant for the last three weeks of the football season because we're not playing."

Here we go again - a one-sport athletic director (and former successful football coach) looking at the Big Ten with his blinders on, and not looking at the implications of adding a 12th team from the perspective of other sports... and the cost implications to other sports. Rittenberg quotes Delaney: ""There are a lot [of schools] that could take a lot away, but there aren't a lot that could bring so much to make the choice an easy one. You have to have a lot to make something go like this, and it's broader than really a championship game or a basketball tournament."

Don't get me wrong, coaches may make a push. But there are few AAU member schools that are within the geographic region to even consider it feasible to the Big Ten. Notre Dame is not an AAU member school; Pittsburgh, Iowa State, and Missouri, however, are AAU members.

BIG TEN MEN'S ICE HOCKEY

However, Penn State is constructing a new hockey arena and is considering a move of its men's ice hockey team to Division I status. And, the ES has been privy to conversations that several Big Ten athletic directors have discussed creating a league for men's ice hockey in the Big Ten. This is also mentioned at MVN's "State of Hockey News." It is a complicated scenario because of the long standing agreements and history with the WCHA and CCHA... but this possibility has real legs now with Penn State moving forward on its hockey arena, and with the addition of many hockey games on the Big Ten Network (and remember, in 2001, Michigan State's Ryan Miller was named Big Ten athlete of the year in Ice Hockey, even the the conference did not sponsor the sport). The Big Ten really wants ice hockey, and only needs a sixth member competing in the sport to make it a reality.

The addition of Penn State is a natural, with the addition of a sixth team to CCHA's Michigan State, Michigan, Ohio State and WCHA's Minnesota and Wisconsin. Of course, if Notre Dame (CCHA) were to join the Big Ten as a full member, then the league would already have the six qualifying members.... but we all know ND is too full of itself to join the Big Ten in football, so the addition of Joe Pa into ice hockey fills the void nicely.

Hockey is an extremely expensive sport, and with the federal law that will require arenas (like Munn Ice Arena) to replace their R22 refrigerant units by 2015, well PSU can construct its facility with ozone-friendly refrigerant in mind, thus absorbing the cost at the front end.

Big Ten hockey? This will happen folks. It is just a matter of time. It is one helluva lot more likely than adding a 12th team to the conference.