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We all have met the guy at some point in our lives, and hell, he might be in our circle of friends. He acts like everything slights him, from you saying you got a good new job to the size of your truck. He carries around that proverbial chip on his shoulder all the time, which is good … and bad depending on the situation.
Michigan State football is that guy forever. On the upside, they’re angry … always … which plays well in the world of football. They come out in every game like someone said something bad about their mother, intent on violently ending the discussion based on being tougher and more hateful.
If bad intentions had a team, it’d forever be coached by Mark Dantonio.
Which brings us to 2015. It feels either artificially or truthfully like no team gets less pub for winning a staggering 24 games over the last two seasons than Michigan State. In spite of all of their success the last two seasons, which include bowl wins over dual top-5 ranked teams, the talk is perpetually about their rivals rather than them.
Ohio State has earned their discussion points, with, you know, that CFB Playoff Championship from last season, dispensing the best of the SEC and the Pac 12 in the process. In-state, long-dormant in-state rival Michigan tore open the off season headlines in the conference, hiring Jim Harbaugh as head coach and compiling a, “we’re back” staff.
Lost in the shuffle have been the Spartans, who really don’t need much manufacturing to weld that eternal chip on their shoulder these days.
For 2015, folks will be wondering if these Spartans … easily the most talent-ready team capable of challenging Ohio State … can take the next step. After all, it was only two years ago that MSU ran into undefeated OSU in the Big Ten Championship Game, as the Bucks were staring down the barrel at a potential BCS title game appearance, and thrashed them.
Who’s to say it cannot happen again?
MSU boasts arguably one of the top 7 returning quarterbacks in the nation in Connor Cook. They have a devastating pass rusher in Shilique Calhoun, who turned down NFL riches for one more shot in East Lansing. The secondary likely won’t be as dominant, but will still be one of the better in the nation.
The running game will need a new bell cow, but at this point, MSU is house money running the ball, especially with four offensive starters on the line.
But that schedule … that could be the key. The Spartans visit both Michigan and Ohio State as well as Big 10 West favorite Nebraska. They play only two home games betwixt October 10 and November 27. They will need all of that chip and more during that road.
For the first time in what feels like a few years, MSU is fighting back for perception again. They’ve gained such massive ground over the past two seasons, but will need sustained success as both Michigan and Penn State look to be wildly improved.
From a long-term program perspective without sounding too melodramatic, this feels like a big year. It could end in a championship, or it could end in the perception of ceding the state back to the Maize and Blue. The upside is that these Spartans are good enough to settle for nothing less than the former.
The Sparty is on, and the chip is invited again. One of the more organic longer-term stories of 2015 is how long those lights can stay on.
