ESPN GameDay coming to MSU for tilt v Oregon

Kirk Herbstreit, in tonight's $aban demolition of Wisconsin, announced ESPN Game Day coming to East Lansing for the big #5 MSU vs #7 Oregon tilt.  Woop woop!!!!

Spartans-Buckeyes a TOSS UP in Vegas as Game Day comes to town

The early, early line out of Vegas has next Saturday's MSU-Ohio State tilt anywhere from a Pick 'Em to MSU as a 1-1/2 pt favorite.  Ugh.  Other Big Ten matchups are: Penn State by 2-1/2 at Illinois, Iowa by 6 at home vs Minnesota, Northwestern by 14-1/2 pt fave at home over Indiana, Purdue by 18 at home over Marshall, Nebraska is favored by - get this - 11-1/2 at home over Wisconsin.

MAKE SOME NOISE... Get out your whistles & horns, ESPN Game Day is coming to East Lansing.  Lee, Kirk and the boys will be in town for the Spartans vs Buckeyes showdown; I guess MSU has a 2-3 record when Game Day is in EL. 

As for the polls... well, the coaches obviously didn't see the EMU game, as they jumped the Spartans up two notches to #18; MSU is #20 in the AP Poll.

AP Top 25
RK	TEAM	RECORD	PTS
1	Alabama (59)	4-0	1499
2	Oregon	4-0	1414
3	LSU (1)	4-0	1346
4	Florida State	4-0	1340
5	Georgia	4-0	1245
6	South Carolina	4-0	1147
7	Kansas State	4-0	1067
8	Stanford	3-0	1055
9	West Virginia	3-0	1045
10	Notre Dame	4-0	1003
11	Florida	4-0	864
12	Texas	3-0	856
13	USC	3-1	801
14	Ohio State	4-0	633
15	TCU	3-0	616
16	Oklahoma	2-1	611
17	Clemson	3-1	588
18	Oregon State	2-0	451
19	Louisville	4-0	414
20	Michigan State	3-1	348
21	Mississippi State	4-0	246
22	Nebraska	3-1	179
23	Rutgers	4-0	128
24	Boise State	2-1	114
25	Baylor	3-0	92

• Dropped from rankings: Michigan 18, UCLA 19, Arizona 22

• Others receiving votes: Northwestern 89, UCLA 79, Michigan 44, Ohio 40, Virginia Tech 26, Arizona 17, Iowa State 16, Wisconsin 13, Oklahoma State 12, Texas A&M 11, Texas Tech 10, Cincinnati 10, Tennessee 10, Arizona State 8, Louisiana Tech 7, Purdue 5, Miami (FL) 1

Herbstreit picks Spartans to win Big Ten

So ESPN leads off with the Little Sister down the road, the cheating Buckeyes, and the horror story at Penn State. With Herbie picking MICHIGAN STATE as the Big Ten Champs.

Nice

Watch the ESPN Big Ten preview, and see Kirk Herbstreit endorse Sparty for a BCS game.

How loud was it? The loudest EVER, that's all. Stadium videos of the replay call. Herbie & Musky deserve kudos

Two days after, and the ES has watched the last minute drive at least 50 times.  AT LEAST.  What an amazing story by Wojciechowski at ESPN.com.

I have ripped on Herbstreit & Co. for their blanket endorsement of Wisconsin, something that you don't expect out of someone as talented as he and the Game Day crew.  But, I have to give credit to Herbie and Brent Musburger for the post-game analysis, which I've just watched for the first time (since I was at the game, then at the Roadhouse to celebrate).  Musky called it "one of the great football games that I've been around.... It was unbelievable, I mean the whole game.... Oh, what a ball game, and what an unbelieveable ending."  Herbstreit: "and that's saying something... This is what makes college football so special."   Looking at the video, it is amazing how thousands of fans just wouldn't leave after the game, everyone just stunned celebration.  Several bloggers, including yours truly, are ranking it among the greatest college football games EVER PLAYED IN HISTORY (or try this) (dating back to Princeton & Rutgers in 1869).



I want to share with you below several clips that I've found from within the stadium of the timing of the announcement. Seriously, it must have hit 140 decibels in the stadium (ie a jet engine) -- the loudest single sound I have EVER HEARD in Spartan Stadium.  I have been attending Spartan football games for 25 years and never, NEVER, had it been as loud as on Saturday night. These all give you the sense of how AMAZING the experience was -- I'm not lying, it was truly one of the greatest single experiences of my entire life.

Thank you THANK YOU to everyone taking video in the Stadium.  It was historic, an amazing climax to one of the best games ever played.

Here is the announcement - just a BANG like an atomic bomb blast. Swear to the good Lord above.



Here is a video from the student section, right where the ES was standing, everyone in the stadium with their arms up signaling TD, when IT HAPPENED:







Here is a clip of the entire last drive, including the announcement:



Here is an amazing video of "Rocket," front row seat - ROW 3 to be exact:



Finally, a clip taken by the ES of the celebration of the players running to the corner of the endzone to celebrate with the student body:

Spartan Defense is vicious, ferocious, unrelenting; MSU moves to #13, TD underdog to Wisky

The ES keeps thinking about the ferocious Spartan defense on Saturday, which put to rest for good the argument any notion of scUM's Denard Robinson as Heisman-trophy caliber.  Indeed, he looked downright ordinary on Saturday, with a bludgeoning and bruising Spartan front line that completely dominated the "vaunted" Wolverine offense. When Michigan's 4th-and-1 effort was smashed with yet another Spartan sack of Robinson, the AArogant Nation has to wonder if Robinson's shoelaces aren't more effective tied to the bench, even if tied at all.  Sweet beauty, sweet beauty.  It was as vicious of an effort by the Spartan defense witnessed by the ES in his lifetime.

As loud as the cheers are roaring in Spartan Stadium is the whining out of Ann Arbor, which has never been louder: "the Spartans play dirty", etc etc.  Whatever, what the whining shows is several things:

1. inability for the Wolvies to use multiple gifts from MSU; the Spartans penalized 13 times for 124 yards, giving the Wolverines 6 of their 20 first downs by penalty... five personal fouls by MSU resulted in a FRESH SET OF DOWNS each time... and in EVERY CASE, Michigan punted.  Yes, Michigan got NOTHING from the 15 yards and first downs each of the five times through the entire game. 
2. difficulty for the AArrogant Nation to accept the fact it has taken a back-seat to Michigan State in football.  This is four years of pounding in a row.
3. unwillingness for the AArogant Nation to acknowledge the fact of being physically and mentally defeated.  They weren't as tough, and couldn't compete. They were pounded into submission, and the AArrogant Nation just can't accept that, either.
4. sore losers.

As my parents always said, stop yer bitchin' and keep your nose to the grindstone. Or, more bluntly: "Let me tell you a thing about stupidity: It is better to be quiet than to open your mouth and remove all doubt."

At least the players weren't complaining, and recognize the game of football involves physical brutality.  Even Robinson told the New York Times: “They were playing football. It’s a dirty game.” “They were definitely more physical,” said Michigan redshirt junior safety Jordan Kovacs. “They pounded us. They beat us up.”

NY TIMES, MEDIA PRAISE SPARTANS FEROCITY
The praise for Michigan State's ferocity is wide across the nation (NY Times called the win over scUM a "beating"; USA Today acknowledges MSU defense; even the Michigan Daily acknowledged MSU's pummeling.). In back-to-back games, against Ohio State and Michigan, the Spartans looked, well... MEAN and unrelenting.  Jeez, it looked like an Alabama-defense.  Right now, the Spartans rank No. 1 nationally in pass defense (119.1 yards per game) and pass-efficiency defense (84.3 rating), along with a No. 2 ranking in total defense (186.1 yards), No. 3 in run defense (67 yards) and No. 4 in scoring defense (10.8 points).

ESPN GAME DAY COMING TO TOWN 
Now, the #13 Spartans get the supreme test:  hosting #4 Wisconsin.  The Badgers are a 7 1/2-pt favorite at Spartan Stadium.  Notably, it is not only MSU's Homecoming... but ESPN Game Day crew are coming to town, likely to set up shop at Munn Field - it is Corso and Herbstreit's fourth visit to Spartan Stadium, and first since 2005.  In other Big Ten tilts, Iowa favored by 23 over Indiana, Illinois favored by 6 at Purdue, Nebraska favored by 25 at Minnesota, and Joe Pa favored by 4 at Northwestern.

TIDBITS
ES predicted MSU 27-18 (final 28-14)... not bad, eh?  And, the ES poll relating to how many yards would MSU limit Denard Robinson?  The answer was 167 total yards -- more than 50% below his average of 342 entering the game. 39% of the 181 who responded to the ES poll said Robinson would be held under 150 yards; 9% said between 151-200; 7% said between 201-250, 4% said between 251-300; and, 38% said he would gain more than 300.  The ES grins, "Ha ha ha."

RANKINGS: MSU #13, #15, #16
For Michigan State, they've climbed to #13 in the USA Today, #15 in the AP Poll, and #16 in the first BCS rankings released today.

USA Today Poll
RK	TEAM	RECORD	PTS
1	Oklahoma (31)	6-0	1426
2	LSU (15)	7-0	1410
3	Alabama (12)	7-0	1403
4	Wisconsin (1)	6-0	1262
5	Stanford	6-0	1222
6	Oklahoma State	6-0	1173
7	Boise State	6-0	1172
8	Clemson	7-0	1028
8	Oregon	5-1	1028
10	Arkansas	5-1	931
11	Nebraska	5-1	775
12	South Carolina	6-1	765
13	Michigan State	5-1	690
14	West Virginia	5-1	688
14	Virginia Tech	6-1	688
16	Kansas State	6-0	678
17	Michigan	6-1	458
18	Texas A&M	4-2	415
19	Georgia Tech	6-1	396
20	Houston	6-0	359
21	Illinois	6-1	260
22	Penn State	6-1	253
23	Auburn	5-2	202
24	Washington	5-1	174
25	Arizona State	5-2	86

• Dropped from rankings: Texas 21, Baylor 24

• Others receiving votes: Georgia 60, Notre Dame 36, Rutgers 31, Southern Methodist 27, Texas 26, Southern Miss 14, Cincinnati 14, Baylor 9, North Carolina 9, Virginia 3, Temple 3, TCU 1

ES predicts Michigan State-Illinois with ESPN Game Day in town

Michigan State's biggest game of the year is tonight, and ESPN Game Day crew is in town. Michigan State (14-11/6-7) must defeat Illinois (17-9/7-6) at home if it is to have any chance at the NCAA Tournament. It is a must game, and the Spartan Nation, coach Izzo, and the players know it. Longtime Lansing tv/radio pundit Tim Staudt noted a likely 16-18 point Big Green win before it is all said and done. The ES predicts: Michigan State 79, Illinois 65.

Michigan State is a 2-1/2 point favorite over Illinois.
RPI Ratings: Illinois #39, Michigan State #47
Jeff Sagarin: Illinois #25, Michigan State #40
Bracketology: Illinois #8 Southeast, Michigan State #12 West
TV: ESPN, 9 pm EST.
Breslin Center, East Lansing

ESPN Game Day today is at Michigan State. Here are some embedded video below and links to their positive commentary on the Spartans - Bracketology, Digger Phelps Coaches' Corner, Hubert Davis Breslin Center Home Court Advantage... Hubert says: "Go GREEN!"