I'm friends with a lot of Michigan fans.

Most of the time, they're not that bad (I'm being nice), but some of them have been unbearable the last couple days.

They talk about how State fans are hanging their hats on beating Michigan in OT last weekend and how that win "makes State's season."

Although I know they're just responding in the way a jilted lover would, that statement isn't entirely false.

We needed that win Saturday. Starting 1-4, 0-2 in the Big Ten, would have been catastrophic. An already reeling fan base would have jumped off the ledge. But that win could have come against anyone and it still would have been a big deal.

I don't care if it had come against the Monroe School for Paraplegics, State (2-3, 1-1) had to have that win. Sure, in the process we beat Michigan in back-to-back years for the first time since before "Good Times" was on the air, but that was minor - to me, at least. Hopefully it breathed some life back into the roster. And with the way the schedule's set up, MSU should be able to build on the win.

State travels to Champagne to take on Illinois this weekend. The Illini is 1-3, 0-2 in conference, and coming off two demoralizing losses to the class of the Big Ten (Ohio State and Penn State, respectively). It's gotten so bad that Illinois coach Ron Zook Monday announced he's benching senior quarterback Juice Williams (1 TD, 4 picks this season) in favor of junior Eddie McGee, who started in the team's lone win this season over Illinois State Sept. 12. If that doesn't scream PANIC, I don't know what does. In the team's three losses, Illinois has been outscored 102-26. State should win this game. Now watch McGee come out and go 26/34 for 417 yards and 4 TDs.

MSU welcomes Northwestern to East Lansing Oct. 17. Neither MSU or NW has done anything impressive this season,but I'll take MSU's one semi-big win over Michigan over all of the Wildcats' victories (vs. Towson and Eastern Michigan and at Purdue). MSU was able to go to Evanston last year, when Northwestern had a much better team, and beat the Wilcats, 37-20, despite being dominated statistically. Northwestern lost it's top three receivers from a year ago, its top running back and starting quarterback all to graduation.

State SHOULD in theory be able to come out on top here, as well, bringing MSU's mark on the season to 4-3, 3-1 in the Big Ten before undefeated Iowa (vs. Michigan Oct. 10, at Wisconsin Oct. 17) comes calling Oct. 24 for a night game. However, the last two times the Wildcats have come to East Lansing, Northwestern is 2-0 and has scored 97 points to MSU's 55. That includes a 49-14, Joe Jackson-esque whooping at Homecoming in 2005. The only reason fans even stayed at that game past halftime was to see if they won the 50/50.

So, yea, winning the UM game might have made MSU's season. We won't know that for a couple months, though.