Penn State: The Wins Debate

The NCAA announced that the 112 wins vacated by Penn State in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky Scandal are to be restored making the late Joe Paterno again the winning-est head football coach of all time with 409 victories. The stripping of the 112 wins pitted the sports world on two sides of a divide. Either the NCAA was justified in stripping the wins of a program and coach that valued football  over the well being and care of the children or the NCAA was mistaken for stripping the wins of hundreds of players who had no knowledge of the events going on behind the scenes in their own facilities.

Frankly the restoration of the wins only opens the debate and the rage of the scandal but the vacating of wins in the first place was not practical. No illegal competitive advantage was afforded Penn State, therefore by that logic Penn State should not have to void any wins that occurred on the football field. But this is all the about the players. While the players had no knowledge of any of the utterly evil and despicable acts of Jerry Sandusky, they cannot be punished; it'd be equivalent to punishing the child for the father's transgressions. 112 wins stripped of the hundreds of players who played during those games is rather a blemish on the NCAA. The players fought hard for those victories and not one of them had a clue of the atrocities occurring in their own showers. However, football staff did know about the acts of Jerry Sandusky and failed to report such incidents. Paterno himself knew of such incidents and failed to do much about them.

The negligence and incompetence at the top of Penn State football should speak volumes to Americans when it comes to sports and moral conviction. Not only did staff at Penn State fail to protect children from Sandusky, they simply cast it off as "not a Penn State issue." Perhaps they had "better" things to worry about; like winning a Big Ten game. In the grand scheme of things winning football games does not matter. This a sport after all. However, this problem is not on all of Penn State. It falls on men at the top of Penn State who failed to take any action whatsoever. A few "good" men had their their reputations tarnished and with good reason. Not only is not taking action against a man who endangered the well being of children inexcusable it's borderline evil. Taking away the wins was an empty effort that put the blame on all who went to Penn State, when under further examination it was the men placed in charge of the institution who are to be blamed. Paterno was a hell of  a coach who did everything right except one thing. This one thing happens to outweigh and right or wrong will outweigh all the things Paterno has accomplished because of swift action by the NCAA. Maybe he was a man who got caught up in the glory of football. His record for most wins shouldn't have been taken from him, this wasn't a matter of football, it was a matter of morals. Morals were forgotten here, it's not a Penn State culture problem, it's a Penn State leadership problem. Paterno failed here and those wins should come with an asterisk. He did everything right on the field, he didn't off.

Big Ten Relevancy

America's oldest conference began in 1896 and in the present day you'd think the most experience would lead to the most success but it has not. In today's world, it's all about what have you done lately. Welcome to the now Big Ten Conference. You've joined the big boys. Finally on a national stage you didn't cower from the bad boys in the south and let them bask in their untouched eight year dominance. Seven titles by the SEC, and one by Florida State, who is a southern team just in the ACC. Southern football dominance is all that has been talked about for eight years. Eight years of the Big Ten, Pac-12, Big 12, etc being ripped because they can't compete with SEC speed and SEC defense. It's also been eight years of the same chorus of berating the Big Ten. The Big Ten isn't this, the Big Ten can't do this, yada, yada, yada. Finally, three teams ended that, and  restored credibility to the Big Ten.

The Big Ten owes a sincerest thanks to Michigan State, Wisconsin, and Ohio State. Not only did the Spartans, Badgers, and Buckeyes beat a combination of two SEC teams, and a Big 12 team, they beat them on a national stage on the biggest day of the college bowl season. New Year's Day felt like New Year's Day again. Huge, intriguing match-ups throughout the day culminated with a new perception of the Big Ten. First the Badgers downed last years runner-up, Auburn, in OT. Big Ten takes one from the SEC. Next, MSU took the Cotton Bowl right out of Baylor's bear hands. (Yes, bear hands). Big Ten steals a game from the Big 12. Then, on the big stage in the second playoff game of the night, Ohio State, took down #1 Alabama in a convincing victory. Two games taken from the SEC. Any question about whether the Big Ten was capable of keeping up with the big bad south was vanquished. The SEC West lost four bowl games on New Year's Day. Yes the same SEC West conference some pundits had three of its members joining the playoffs. Yes, three of the four slots in the new college football playoff were to be occupied by teams of the SEC West. Why?, you may ask? Well because SEC football is the best and baddest brand of football in the land. Seven years of domination would bring you to that conclusion. But in those seven years, only four of the SEC's fourteen teams one a national championship. Four SEC schools combined for seven national titles.

The SEC was really dominated by four teams with six other teams being above-average and four other teams being average but also losing to "lesser" opponents. By lesser opponents I mean, anyone outside of the SEC, because if you ain't one of us then you don't count. Florida State ended that reign over college football, and the Big Ten furthered the Seminoles attack. The Big Ten took down some of the nation's elite and
restored the dignity it once held. No doubt the
SEC is great football, but now everyone is catching up. The SEC was merely the first to start the system every other program is following and those programs are beating the SEC at their own game.

The Big Ten gained some national respect but now it's all about keeping it. Remember it's not how you start but how you finish that matters. MSU is the only team that has played the two teams in the national title game. I guess you could say the National Championship runs through East Lansing and Big Ten country. The Big Ten still has a while to go but now it has key wins on the national stage, three of the top ten college coaches in America, and a new sense of pride about it's football product. Go do something with it.

2015 Cotton Bowl: The MSU Enigma

As the old saying goes, "Adversity doesn't build character, it reveals it." No saying, proverb, or maxim could hold truer for the 2015 Cotton Bowl. Michigan State was long gone, MIA, dead, buried, and non-existent from the second quarter until just after half-way through the third quarter. The Spartans were resurrected  by the book of Dantonio and showed a resiliency they've embodied all year. Down twenty points in the fourth quarter the Spartans battled all the way back to beat Baylor 42-41, in a game that will go down in Spartan lore.

Two games come to mind while thinking about that game. Two high scoring losses, to two elite teams. The storyline was the same as the Oregon and Ohio State games. High powered opposing offense, secondary plays weak for Spartans, and the offense goes bipolar. Those two games, were the epitome of Spartan football in 2014. In 2014 the Spartans would have lost. A bad false start, incomplete pass, or turnover would have stopped the Spartan's comeback. But 2015 is not 2014. The calendar flipped and it was a new year. The Spartans left the losing to elites in 2014. In 2015, they finished the job.

Down and out early to Bryce Petty, the Spartans again found themselves being torched by a fast offense and a cannon of an arm. It looked and felt as those games felt. 41-21 in the fourth quarter the D was still giving up yards through the air. But a stop here and two touchdowns later it's 41-35. If resilience is to be defining word of the game we must use it to describe the man that lead the charge. Connor Cook threw a pick, driving, down two touchdown, and he forgot about all of it. Next possession he leads MSU down 60 yards to come within a touchdown. A huge blocked kick sets up the winning play and then, Cook delivers the final blow on an 81 yard drive with one swift motion and a strike to Kieth Mumphery. 42-41.

Cook was jittery and off his game after the first quarter and the offense broke down occasionally. However, he was the hero at the end. It's not how you start, it's about how you finish. And Cook finished. The kid is a winner and he was calm and collected at the end on that final drive. As the clock ran out the joy and elation that illuminated his face was inspiring. A man that has conquered top teams now in his two bowl starts.

Michigan State has now won four straight bowl games, lead but eventually lost to the nations top two teams this year, beat two top ten teams in bowl games the past two years, and will finish in the top ten for the second straight year. Michigan State has proved they can compete, while not dominant, they still won and that's the only thing that will. The W in the win column is all that matters. A win is a win and always will be. Games can be broken down, over analyzed, and talked about, but all that matters is the W. That's what MSU walks away with. A W and new hope and brighter tomorrow in the college football world.

MSU Cotton Bowl: Help Wanted

Baylor 24, Michigan State 14

As the clock hits zero at Jerry's World in the Cotton Bowl, the story line for the Spartans is the same as it has been in big games. The offense was hot to start, then frozen. The defense brought up third downs but couldn't get Baylor off the field, they get tired and boom it's 24-14 Baylor at half.

This game was to be about adjustments. Both teams have great high powered offenses capable of competing against any defense. Which defense to respond and adjust first would be the one that came out on top in the first half. Michigan State's first drive was the eighth opening drive this season that went for a touchdown. The D brought third down on Baylor multiple times on the Bears ensuing possession but it proved to be for naught as Petty delivered a 49 yard strike and we were all tied. Michigan State drove all the way down the field again and scored on the ground again. Petty and Baylor responded with a beautiful double pass on the next possession and  we were tied at 14-14. Baylor went on to score another touchdown on a Petty QB sneak and then added a field goal at the end of the half to make it 24-14 in favor of Baylor.

The Spartans have run into this conundrum twice this season. This game looks exactly like the Ohio State game. MSU dominated on offense early but after those scores has not mustered much and has gone away from pounding the ball on the ground. MSU to win this game has to get the ball back to Langford and pound the ball. Michigan State needs to wear Baylor down with the ground atatck and as soon as Baylor begins to stop it, MSU will need to go over the top on play action. Picking up third downs will be huge.

Baylor's pass offense has been explosive and has taken advantage of MSU's weak secondary. Baylor's receivers are too quick. Michigan State has to force Baylor to run. If they don't it'll get uglier and uglier.

2015 Cotton Bowl Preview

January 1, 2014 was an unprecedented day in Spartan lore. As the boys in green and white stepped onto manicured grass at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, they left their mark on Spartan Nation for years to come. One year later the eighth-ranked Spartans have a chance to leave another mark. While the Cotton Bowl is not the Rose Bowl nor the College Football Playoff, the Spartans have the opportunity to show they are among the nation's best teams. A showdown with the Bears of Baylor in Arlington, Texas today can provide another example of why the Spartans deserve the national spotlight.

Beating fifth-ranked Baylor will not be an easy task. Practically an home game for the Bears, Baylor may have the advantage in crowd-backing. Spartans do travel well, but to quiet the largely Baylor crowd the Spartans will have to score early and stuff the Baylor offense. The Baylor offense is something scary. Think Mariota and the Oregon Ducks when looking for a comparison. Not only is Baylor capable of scoring, they can score quick and without warning. Michigan State's defense has been ripped apart by good quarter backs twice this year, Mariota and JT Barrett of Ohio State, have each torched the Spartans for 300 yards through the air. Bryce Petty is more than capable of doing the same. The Spartan defense will have to play how they did in the first three and a half quarters against Oregon throughout the whole battle. The Spartan offense as well will have to play defense in a way. Keeping Baylor's fast paced offense off the field as long as possible will allow them to control the clock and give their defense time to regroup. Controlling the clock, holding onto the football, and scoring on long drives will give the Spartans a victory today. The offense as well needs to throw in play action. The offense is centered around pounding the football on the ground. If Langford can get his holes and get into the secondary the Spartans will set themselves up for a W. Once Langford starts hitting the holes, the offense will need to pull out the fakes, and go over the top for big gains.

The Spartans have a chance to send their very successful seniors off with another win, and prove that they belong with the nations elite. Today is a measuring block for just how good the Spartans are and can be. Dantonio is a great motivator and will no doubt have the Spartans up and ready for the big stage. Baylor also looks to prove to the committee that they deserved that final playoff spot.This makes for perhaps the best bowl outside of the two playoff games today. Look for the Spartans to have built off their two losses to playoff teams today and capture a W in the heart of Texas.
Prediction: MSU 44, Baylor 39