The Big Ten Championship Game is approaching faster than insults at a political debate, and the two teams going to Indianapolis are party crashers based on preseason expectations. It’s Michigan State from the big, bad East division and Iowa from the underappreciated West. Each team brings its own belts and suspenders into the de facto elimination game for the College Football Playoff, and it could go either way.
Here are five reasons why Michigan State can beat Iowa:
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5. The Cook’s in the Kitchen
Michigan State quarterback Connor Cook is a proven commodity in a world where unknowns are the norm. He has the capability of strapping the Spartans on his back and riding off into the sunset when guns and arrows are pointed squarely at his team. His stats haven’t blown up like last year, but without him, this MSU team loses at least three games. He’s made plays at key times this year when the Green and White seemed to be wandering the wilderness in search of themselves.
Cook has a habit of showing up in the biggest of games, and it doesn’t get any bigger than trying to wrestle away a trophy from an undefeated Iowa team to snatch away a spot in the College Football Playoff. If you’re looking for an MVP and a guy who can gut his team to victory, there’s a good candidate running around with a No. 18 across his jersey.
4. The Scowl on the Sideline
Isn’t it about time we all stand up and applaud Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio? I don’t know if we’ll ever truly appreciate what he’s done in East Lansing until he steps away from the game. The Spartan program has always had talent, but it never seemed to reach its full potential. The program was flakier than a Betty Crocker pie crust, and struggled to get over the hump because of self-inflicted wounds.
In stepped Dantonio, who changed the culture almost immediately. His first order of business was to create some accountability. He kept the talent streaming in, but also developed kids that were overlooked a bit. Fast forward eight years later, and Michigan State is among the upper crust of college football programs, and it’s not just a flash in the pan — now kids want to play for the monster of a program. Dantonio is great at game-planning and motivating, and he’ll find a way to “let the lions out of the cage” come Saturday.
3. The D-Line
Did you watch the game in Columbus just a couple of weeks back? We all knew the Spartan defensive line was big and athletic, but that night it played with bad intentions and literally beat up an Ohio State team that likes to take lunch money on the playground. That night in Columbus, the potential of that defensive front was realized, and it seemed to re-energize the team right through the Penn State game.
Shalique Calhoun and company are playing at a high level right now, and if anyone can stop the balanced attack of the Hawkeyes, it’s the one wearing Green and White. This game will be controlled in the trenches, and with the upward trajectory and confidence Michigan State’s defensive line is playing with, you should like the chances of Sparty imposing its will.
2. Hit the Ground Running
Some of the early issues Michigan State had with putting teams away can be linked to an inability to get anything cookin’ on the ground. You can’t leave it all up to Connor Cook and the passing game and expect to write your own script. Teams were able to get the Spartan offense off the field, and the defense gave up yards because of fatigue late in games. All that has changed now.
The offensive line has started to get healthy, and with it three running backs have begun to find more real estate than in Septeber and early October. The result has been an ability to provide more balance on offense, and with it, a more punishing and soul-crushing attack. This enabled Michigan State to begin to become a more complete team. The results have followed, and it wouldn’t be a stretch to think the Spartans are the hottest team in college football right now.
1. The Experienced Huntsman
Michigan State is the old money and Iowa is the down on your luck grinder who just won the lottery. In other words, the Spartans have been to Indy, have been in the top five, and have won big games as a venerable giant of the sport over the last few years. They have yet to hoist a national championship trophy, but the program is now a model one instead of one molded into an artists’ rendering.
For all the good the Hawkeyes have done this year, this is the biggest stage the program has occupied since the 1986 Rose Bowl against UCLA. This team — this class of players — will face championship pressure for the first time. The hotels, the scrutiny, the pregame buzz. All of that will be a lot to take in and manage than your average run-of-the-mill Saturday in the fall. The experience rests on the broad shoulders of Michigan State, and you have to believe the veteran team knows what it takes to rise to another level in these anything-but-typical surroundings and win a championship.
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Phil Harrison is a contributor to The Student Section. He is also the founder of Big10news.com and featured contributor to collegefootballews.com, talking10.com, and occasionally campusinsiders.com. You can follow him on twitter @PhilHarrisonCFB or email him at pharrison28@gmail.com. If that doesn’t work, you can find him in the doghouse at home.
