As just about everyone knows, Michigan State football coach Mark Dantonio suffered a heart attack early Sunday morning after the Spartans’ unbelievable overtime win over Notre Dame.

Dantonio, 54, has since had an angioplasty and been released from the hospital. When he will return to the sidelines is yet to be determined.

Heart ailments are no joke. It’s good Coach D’s wife was able to get him to the hospital shortly after he began to take ill, or the talk around East Lansing may have been on something other than Coach’s, um, guts in calling for a fake field goal down three in extra play to Notre Dame.

Someone did decide to make light of a very serious situation, though, and it was totally uncalled for.

Matt Patrick, a morning radio host for South Bend, Ind., news/talk station 95.3 MNC, Tuesday morning got in front of a camera for a short video podcast and said God caused Dantonio to have a heart attack because MSU cheated the Irish. His reasoning was that the play clock had expired before the snap on the game’s final play.

“The moral of the story is you mess around with the Fighting Irish, you cheat on the last play of the game, overtime, and beat the Irish, God is going to get you,” Patrick said.

A little research found Patrick, a 30-year radio veteran, Tuesday was hosting just his seventh show with the station, which leads me to believe his comments served as nothing more than a way to gain listeners and draw traffic to the station website.

More research found Patrick is an avid Notre Dame supporter, which would normally raise an eyebrow, but most radio host have strong ties to teams in their area and make their feelings known.

He has since issued an apology in video form on the station’s website after reports of several Spartan fans calling the general manager of the station voicing their displeasure with Patrick’s distasteful, classless, idiotic remarks — and after pressure from said GM, I presume.

The comments shouldn’t have ever been made.

I joke all the time about games giving me heart attacks. As an MSU fan and alum and well-known sports psycho, I make that joke frequently. I decided to come up with some new material after Dantonio’s episode because heart ailments among college football coaches is becoming an alarming trend.

Florida coach Urban Meyer retired then unretired after suffering a heart attack last winter. Northwestern head coach Randy Walker, 52, died following a heart attack in July 2006.

The job is a stressful one. Running practice and watching film 20 hours a day; not being able to spend ample time with your family and friends; and worrying about 100-plus kids and hoping they don’t decide to do anything stupid.

When episodes such as Dantonio’s take place, they’re no laughing matter.

Maybe the guy was just mad his team lost. I’d be upset, too, if I supported a team that replaced one coach, Charlie Weis, with a (slightly) slimmer version — Brian Kelly, who coaches the same style Weis did. Neither is known for their defense, which has failed the Irish in each of the last two weeks. There are already rumblings Notre Dame fans are souring on Kelly.

Maybe Patrick wanted to deflect from the fact Notre Dame is the most overrated program in college football the last 25 years.
The last time Notre Dame football did anything significant, cell phones looked like laptops and MTV still featured music videos.

What big-time recruit wants to play there these days? No 17-year-old kid cares about the history of Notre Dame. No 17-year-old kid cares enough to learn the history of the Irish, either.

Maybe God hates Notre Dame. How many times in recent years has the team played well enough to get fans’ hopes up and made it to a BCS game only to get destroyed by a better team?

Patrick was talking about karma when he made his comments. If there were any real karma, he’d be searching the classifieds right now.

The last time MSU played Ohio State, then-true freshman Terrell Pryor looked like a combination of Randall Cunningham and Doug Williams, as the Buckeyes had their way with the Spartans on their way to a 42-7 smashing.

After several prayers, somehow, Ohio State came off MSU's schedule for two years. That will prove to be crucial this season and is one of four reasons I see the Spartans playing in the 2011 Rose Bowl.

No Ohio State on the schedule is good for MSU

The Spartans for the second straight year avoid the Big Ten’s Team of the Decade: the Ohio State Buckeyes.

How this happened, I don’t know. But I’m as thankful for it as washed-up stars are for reality show checks. Had OSU been on MSU’s schedule last season instead of, say, Purdue, the Spartans go 5-7 and don’t get those extra practices leading up to the Alamo Bowl.

Not playing the Bucks this season is a Godsend for an entirely different reason — its the difference between finishing 9-3 and having a good season and going 10-2 and possibly having a special season.

Make no mistake: Ohio State will win its record sixth straight Big Ten title this season. But the No. 2-ranked Buckeyes will be playing for a much bigger prize than the Rose Bowl trophy. I see Ohio State going undefeated and winning the BCS National Title — partly because I think they’re that good and partly because I don’t think they’ face off with an SEC team in the title game. The Bucks return all their playmakers on offense and feature one of the best, most experienced offensive lines in the country. Add that to a defense littered with NFL prospects and you have the recipe for a national title win.

OSU getting to the title game leaves the door open for the Rose Bowl to select a second Big Ten team, which I believe (Seriously, I do. Stop laughing!) will be the Spartans. That would send MSU to its first Rose Bowl game since 1988, where it beat USC, 20-17. How long ago was that? Michael Jackson bought the “Neverland” ranch that year; “Rain Man” was the top grossing film at the box office; Nintendo released “Super Mario Bros. 3,” which I still have yet to beat; and Milli Vanilli was formed.

One thing not in MSU’s, or any other Big Ten team’s favor, is a new BCS rule going into effect this season that states the Rose Bowl must take a non-BCS team this year (most likely, preseason No. 3 Boise State) if one is eligible and the Rose loses one of its conference anchors. For that to happen, one or both of the anchors (Pac-10/Big Ten) would have to play in the BCS championship game.

I don’t see that happening, though. I think Boise State will lose its marquee game Monday against Virginia Tech. That loss would likely knock the Broncos out of the top 10. With its schedule, it would be next to impossible for Boise to end up in the top two at the end of the season.

With that, I'm picking MSU and Oregon State to meet in Pasadena on New Year's Day.

It’s our turn. We're next in line.

Since State’s last Rose Bowl appearance, eight Big Ten teams have appeared in the “Granddaddy of them All” — Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue and Wisconsin.

That says a lot more about how awful MSU has been over the last 20-plus seasons than it does about the depth of the Big Ten.

But it’s our time. It has to happen this year.

One of the reasons I’m so confident about this prediction is because of one of the most undervalued units in college football.

Part III coming tomorrow

My boys and I every summer have a night where we decide to set the win totals of our favorite teams.

The best part about the whole process is it usually takes place about the time a White Castle tastes like a filet, which makes for some interesting predictions and discussion.

Last year, everybody was saying Michigan State, our alma mater, would win nine or 10 games. Everybody called me crazy for saying we'd top out at seven wins. State finished 6-7.

This year, I've hopped over to the other side of the fence. And this year, people are saying I'm as crazy as Kourtney Kardashian's baby daddy.

That's because I think MSU is going to be playing in Pasadena on New Year's Day 2011. Yes, I have my reasons. and, no, I haven't been hanging out with Paris Hilton.

Please, if you're gonna laugh, wait until the end.

Schedule plays into MSU’s hands
As a Spartan alum, I know MSU football handles prosperity as well as Lindsay Lohan, but the Spartans would have to quit at various points in the season to not win at least nine games. That or run awry of some frat boys.

Of the 12 games on MSU’s slate, seven are at Spartan Stadium against perennial powers such as Western Michigan (Sept. 4), Northern Colorado (Sept. 25) and Minnesota — a team many have picked to finish dead last in the Big Ten this season (Nov. 6).

The rest of the “home” slate includes Florida Atlantic Sept. 11 (I don’t care if the game is at Ford Field and is supposed to be a home game for FAU. It’s a home game for MSU, even if the Owls will recoup the gate), Notre Dame (Sept. 19), Wisconsin (Oct. 2), Illinois for Homecoming (Oct. 16), and Purdue (Nov. 20).

The only real toughie in the Spartans first eight games should come when the Badgers, ranked No. 12 in both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today coaches polls, travel to East Lansing. It’ll be Wisconsin’s first test after games at UNLV, and home against San Jose State, Arizona State and Austin Peay. Seriously. Who makes these non-conference schedules? Duncan Hines?

While the Badgers will be a top-20 team all season, the first game in a hostile environment could have Wisconsin rattled, enabling MSU to eek out a win.

On top of that, the Spartans don’t even leave the state of Michigan until Oct. 23 when they travel to Northwestern, where MSU has won two straight and lead the all-time series, 34-16.

The remainder of the Spartans’ road slate consists of on Oct. 9 going to Ann Arbor to face a Michigan team that may have quit on John L. Rodriguez by then, No. 9/10 Iowa on Devil’s Night and at a play MSU never wins — Nov. 27 in Happy Valley against No. 19/14 Penn State.

Rivalry games against Notre Dame and at The Out House will naturally provide tests for the Spartans, but Notre Dame implementing a new scheme that includes a no-huddle offense and the loss of several players slated to make an impact this season for Michigan in its secondary should prove too much for those squads to overcome. Both games will be shootouts, but I think the overall experience of MSU’s personnel will be the difference.

With a schedule as strong as Michelle Pfeiffer’s eggs in “Scarface,” MSU has a realistic shot at starting 8-0 going into November. Cold-weather home wins against the Gophers and Boilermakers should be a given at that point in the season — if the Spartans are for real. So going 1-2 against Wisconsin, the Hawkeyes and Nittany Lions would put MSU at 10-2, 6-2 in the Big Ten. It's not out of the realm of possibility that MSU could win two of those three games, since Wisconsin is at home and I don't think Penn State will be any good this season. And I say that knowing we win in Happy Valley as often as Charles Barkley refuses a second Krispy Kreme.

That 10-2 finish would give the Spartans their best record since they finished 10-2 following the 1999 season. It could also likely put them in some sort of tie with Iowa and/or Wisconsin for second place in the conference.

Winning that tiebreaker would be crucial for any of those three teams because that second-place finish would send them to Pasadena and the 2011 Rose Bowl (I’ll get to who’ll win the Big Ten later).

I think MSU has the best shot to win that tiebreaker for one huge reason other than its creampuff schedule.

Part II coming tomorrow

Each year, millions of people have Super Bowl parties.

When you invite people into your home, you should be a gracious host. Sometimes, though, a host/hostess has to draw the line and tell certain people “nope. Sorry, man. You’re not getting in here tonight.”

Everybody knows someone who takes advantage of the host’s home during a Super Bowl Party. So I took the time out of my busy, BUSY schedule to compile a list of people to totally exclude from your Super Bowl festivities.

‘The circus is in town’ guy
Everyone knows several people like this. They eat too much salsa or too many buffalo wings, then leave your bathroom smelling like a monkey cage. I was at a party once where I thought I needed to wear a Hazmat suit and galoshes in order to just wash my hands.

The ‘mooch’
This person might be the worst of the bunch. The mooch comes to your party, empty-handed, then proceeds to pile snacks on plate after plate. He doesn’t eat them while he’s there, though; he wraps them in foil, sticks them in an old Kroger bag and puts them in his car. That’s not even the worst part. After all that, he comes back to the party…and eats more food.

The ‘teach me’ girl/boyfriend
I know several women who have immense football knowledge. By that I mean they know how many points a touchdown is, what a running back does, what offsides is, etc. Women like my mom, though, are a different story. She’s the same woman who told somebody Barry Sanders played linebacker. There’s nothing wrong with teaching your girlfriend (or boyfriend in some odd cases) the game of football, but holding that class during the Super Bowl is sacrilegious. People are trying to enjoy the game, eat their smokey links and have some libations. No one wants to hear somebody whispering, “hey, sweetie, you know those wide receivers you told me about? I thought they’d be fatter?”

‘I couldn’t find a babysitter’ guy
I’ve been to a couple Super Bowl shindigs where parents had to bring their little tykes. There’s nothing wrong with that, as long as the kids know how to act. Home training has been lacking in some instances, though. My solution: throw a box of Capri Sun and a bag of Combo’s in a room with a 12-inch TV, Nintendo Wii and one Wii remote. The youngsters will either learn to ration out snacks and share or it’ll turn into the 21st-century version of “Lord of the Flies” really, REALLY fast.

‘I don’t have to work the next day’ guy
This person always wears out their welcome. They come four hours before the game starts and drink like a fish. Usually, once the game’s over, people file out, say how much fun they had, yada, yada, yada. But this guy is still hanging around, trying to find any remnants of left-over liquor and snacks. I know some people view Super Bowl Sunday as a holiday, but this guy takes it to a whole ‘nother level by taking the following Monday off work. No matter what you do — yawn, doze off — he’s not leaving.
My advice: as soon as the game’s over, tell him you’re out of booze.

‘I’m gonna buy all the squares’ guy
For those of you who don’t know what squares is, during the game, you pick numbers from 0-9 and try and determine what the scores will be at the end of each quarter. For example, if you pick 4 and 6, and the score at the end of the first quarter is 14-6, you win some scratch. Some people are obsessed with this game so much to the point they’ll buy damn near half the board. Win or lose, they’re unbearable. I’m talking Fran Drescher’s voice unbearable. I’ve often had the urge to pull a 211 on the winners because of constant questions of “did I have those numbers? Are those my numbers? How much is the pot?” Newsflash: it’s just for fun; and, usually, the house fixes the games.

For anyone hosting a Super Bowl Bash, you can easily identify these people. You probably already know them. And for those of you planning to hit a Super Bowl party, don’t end up like these folks.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to figure out which prop bets I wanna put potato chips on.

I never would have predicted that Alex Rodriguez would be a key cog in a World Series win.

I never could have even dreamed what happened to Tiger Woods.

But I can predict some things that will happen in sports in 2010.

-No Detroit-area professional sports team will reach the postseason this year.

-Michigan defensive lineman Brandon Graham will wow NFL Scouts at this year's combine, leading to him becoming a first-round pick in April's draft. Graham is projected by most as a mid-second to third-round pick.

-Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Kevin Durant will finish in the top three in NBA MVP voting this coming spring.

-Kobe Bryant will win his second NBA MVP award.

-Curtis Granderson will have a career year in his first season in pinstripes.

-Despite the efforts of the local teams, no big name free agents will be lured here this year.

-Oakland Raiders Owner Al Davis will continue to look like the Cryptkeeper.

-Tiger Woods will return at some point this year and tear up the PGA Tour. Golf is all he has now, so all his time and effort will be put toward that...even more than before.

-Twitter will get an athlete suspended for an extended period of time.

-The World Cup will draw a record number of viewers...in other countries.

-A blogger will break a major sports story.

-Justin Verlander will be the 2010 version of Zack Greinke.

-Someone will be fatally injured in a widely-viewed MMA fight.

-Kentucky freshman phenom John Wall will be the first pick in the 2010 NBA Draft but he and his team will have a short run in the NCAA Tournament.

-The Philadelphia Eagles will be the San Diego Chargers in Super Bowl XLIV.

-The Texas Longhorns will win the Men's NCAA Basketball Tournament.

-The Los Angeles Lakers will repeat as NBA Champions...only if the Boston Celtics limp into the postseason like they did last year.

-The Philadelphia Phillies will win their second World Series title in three years.

-This time next year, USC will be back on top of the College Football world.

-Michigan State will play in the 2011 Rose Bowl (I hope!)

With news coming out that eight Michigan State football players have been suspended indefinitely following their involvement in a dorm brawl Nov. 22, head coach Mark Dantonio must take a stand immediately and tell everyone on that roster he won't stand for this anymore.

An alleged fight the night before - after the team played Andy Dufresne to Penn State's The Sisters - at a club supposedly led to the fracas, where 15 MSU players were allegedly in attendance, 10 of whom are said to have been involved. Of the eight who have been suspended, three (WR B.J. Cunningham, WR Mark Dell and CB Chris L. Rucker) get significant playing time.

I don't understand how not even ONE of the players thought to say "We stand more to lose than anybody in all this, so let's just squash it." They messed it up for everyone on the team. No more second chances. One mistake, you're gone. When you're trying to build a program and establish a reputation, things of this nature cannot be tolerated.

The frat boys who the players went after still get to do whatever they want. The idiots who ski-masked up, what do they get? Less practice time, no bowl game, criminal charges possibly, and in the case of Roderick Jenrette and Glenn Winston, no more football.

It's not like this was an immediate reaction, all of these guys had time, nearly an entire day, to think about it and still none of them though, "this probably won't end well."

Winston got two shots, now I don't know what's gonna happen to him. I always thought Dantonio giving him a second chance essentially saved his life, now I don't know what's gonna become of him. How can somebody be so dumb?

Dantonio has to be smart in all this, because a pattern is forming in East Lansing.

The MSU coach allowed Winston to return to the squad late last summer after he served four months in jail for an October 2008 assault in which an MSU hockey player was seriously injured.

Dantonio also threw Jenrette off the team for the entire 2008 season to attempt to fix unknown personal problems before giving him his roster spot back in 2009.

I don't care who it is. I don't care if Kirk Cousins gets caught trying to take the bell out of Beaumont Tower, he has to go.

I don't care if Larry Caper gets caught trying to take an extra steak or handful of fries at dinner. He has to go.

These types of incidents can't keep happening. Dantonio is the best football coach MSU has had in eons. I know he wants to win, but it can't be at all costs, especially at the cost of tarnishing the university's name.

I had this thing in college with our athletic teams where before every big game, I would walk around telling everybody, "We're gonna lose. I have a bad feeling about this."

My friends caught on quickly, recognizing it was a form of reverse psychology or a "hope for the best, prepare for the worst" approach.

That was easy with MSU's hoops team. The basketball team has been like Halle Berry: consistently good with a couple of hiccups (Catwoman/The 2006 season). The football squad on the other hand has been like Fergie. You think there's something there sometimes, but more often than not, you have a "meh" reaction.

Maybe that's the approach I was taking about a month ago when I predicted MSU to finish 7-5 and play in the Insight Bowl. Everyone and their mother had picked State to finish 9-3 or 10-2 and challenge for the Big Ten crown. I knew better.

I'll admit: I was wrong about the quarterback play. I thought Kirk Cousins OR Keith Nichol would struggle with being "The Man." Cousins (60.6 completion percentage, 7 TDs, 2 picks) has played well this season. Nichol has not. Nichol has 5 TD tosses and 2 interceptions. Two of those scores came in mop-up duty after last week's debacle in Wisconsin had already been decided.

I was right about the possibility of a lack of a running game. Through a quarter of the season, as a team, MSU is averaging 117.8 yards/game. That's good for 10th in the Big Ten. The team's longest run of the season, a whopping 25-yard scamper, belongs to Nichol. To top things off, we have three rushing touchdowns. That'd make sense if we were Texas Tech, but this is the Big Ten. You can't win if you can't run the ball.

I had no idea the defense would be this bad, though. Outside of Greg Jones (second in the FBS with 52 tackles, 4.5 TFL) no one on the defensive side of the ball has played well. Take away State's lone win vs. Montana State and the defense is giving up about 33 points/game. State's opponents are 12-12 in the Red Zone and converting nearly half their third-down plays. The team can't come up with a set 11, shuffling defensive backs and lineman in and out of the lineup.

That's what worries me most about the Michigan game. UM leads the Big Ten in scoring (37.5 ppg) and rush offense (240.3 yards/game, good for 8th in the country). Why does that scare me? State can't tackle. The guys on defense probably whiff on the dummies in practice. When a team has as many guys who are capable of making big plays with their feet as Michigan does, that doesn't bode well, especially if you CAN'T TACKLE.

Tomorrow's game is tailor-made for a UM blowout. The forecast is calling for 52 and rainy. Tate Forcier, AKA The Father, Son AND Holy Ghost, who's nursing an injured shoulder, may not have to make more than 10 throws for Michigan to win. Handing the ball off to Carlos Brown or Brandon Minor 35-40 times could do the trick. Remember that stat I threw out about MSU's long rush for the season? It wasn't even for a score. None of State's long rushes have been for scores. Michigan has three runs of more than 30 yards (31, 43 and 90 yards) that have directly resulted in six points.

State's strength is it's passing game (320.8 yards/game so far. UM's weakness has been its secondary (Michigan has given up 243.8 passing yards/game so far this season). Big plays through the air could help in canceling out UM's big plays on the ground. But it's a little tough to throw in a downpour (think State's 17-3 win over Florida Atlantic last season or The Game That Shall Not Be Named from 2006 where Jehuu Caulcrick had 111 yards on 7 carries partway through the third quarter and touched the pill once the rest of the way).

State should be fired up this week. Any chance of a special season has gone down the drain, but 2-3, 1-1 looks a lot better next to your name than 1-4, 0-2. But MSU should have been fired up last week after the way it let the Notre Dame game literally slip through its hands. Instead, the team came out flat and played Tila Tequila to Wisconsin's Shawne Merriman.

With all those variables in mind, I can't pick State to win tomorrow. I'll get up at 5:45 tomorrow morning, load up my car, and head up to East Lansing to have fun with friends. But I'll probably sit on my hands and keep my mouth shut during the game. If MSU comes out thinking its season is on the line - it is - then the team should go hard for 60 minutes and come up with a win.

I just don't see it happening, though.

UM-34
MSU-20

I will now pour hot wax into my eye sockets.

I picked the Spartan football team to go 7-5 at the start of the season.

That was based on research and analysis. In my heart, I always want them to go 10-2 or 11-1 and end up in the Rose Bowl.

Even though I thought State would be a middle of the pack Big Ten team, it still hurts when my team loses in the fashion they have the last couple weeks. The Notre Dame loss was the worst. I didn't think State would win, but when the team fought like it did, I thought they could pull it out.

I won't rehash what happened, but that loss hurt almost as much as hearing your girlfriend say she doesn't wanna be with you anymore. The ND loss hurt so much that I made a (friendly) bet with a friend for the Michigan/MSU game. Seems innocent enough, right? I took Michigan at -6.5. Granted, it was later in the day, after I had drowned my sorrows and had the close of the game run through my head 1,657,789 times, but that showed me how much Green and White blood runs through my veins. I felt so down about a loss that I went with the enemy.

I have since gotten out of that bet. MSU needs to get out of the dumps. A win at Wisconsin tomorrow, and State could be on their way to a shot at the Big Ten title. That shows you how much I think of this Big Ten.

State can get on a roll. That has to start in Madison. Camp Randall is a very tough place to play and an even tougher place to win, but I don't think "No way State wins this game" when I see the Badgers on MSU's schedule. And Wisconsin playing Northern Illinois, Fresno State and Wofford to this point in the season (Bret Bielema apparently graduated from the Bill Snyder/Any SEC Coach School of Scheduling) doesn't have me at all rattled.

So get it done, fellas. You can build on a 2-2 start. A 1-3 start with Michigan coming up, presumably undefeated after they roll over Indiana, could cause panic in the locker room and the stands. And I don't know if I can take many more Saturdays like last week.

And I don't know if I'll get through next week if we lose tomorrow. I know waaaaaaaaay too many UM fans.

Even though I picked MSU to lose to Notre Dame last Saturday, taking the L still hurts.

That game could have been ugly. Notre Dame put 14 points on the board in 5 minutes. I hadn't even settled in to watch the game before State was down two scores.

I could hear it loud and clear. "Same Old Spartans (SOS)." I could hear that coming from MSU fans and followers of other area teams. It looked like the heart-breaking loss to Central Michigan last week stayed with the squad.

But somehow, MSU rose up to take a one-point lead into the locker room. The game went from looking like Tila Tequila to Halle Berry in a hurry, and, as a friend astutely pointed out, I became MUCH more confident in State pulling out its seventh straight win at Notre Dame stadium. A hundred times more confident than I was going into the game. Those Same Old Spartans would have quit after getting down early and lost, 45-7. These Spartans fought valiantly and nearly pulled it out.

You know how the game turned out. Both teams fought hard throughout the second half, with ND escaping with a 33-30 win, thus helping its head coach's case as to why he should not be sent back to Nal Hutta.

There were some questionable calls made in the game: State blitzed a lot in the game, but I wish they would have done it more early on. The secondary continued to play soft coverage. The running game remains shaky at best.

The bad thing about the loss is that MSU should have played for OT after signal-caller Kirk Cousins (no more dueling QBs, Coach D. Keith Nichol should be used like Michigan uses Denard Robinson AT THE MOST) overshot tailback Larry Caper for what would have been the winning score. I know Cousins played masterfully up until the Play That Shall Not Be Named happened, but don't put him in that position.

There were 35 seconds left in regulation and State had the ball at ND's 18-yard line. I know we didn't have any more timeouts, but run the ball up the middle, let Brett Swenson nail a chip shot, and you head into OT.

MSU is two plays away from being 3-0. I'm not gonna play "coulda, shoulda, woulda" but this went from potentially being a special season, to now being a campaign that must be salvaged, starting with a win at Wisconsin Saturday. A 1-3 start with a game against Michigan on the horizon would send local media outlets and message boards into a tizzy (yea, I used that word).

But I don't see the start as State taking a step back. I picked MSU to finish 7-5 this season and said 2010 is the year we win the Big Ten. I thought the defense would be better, but I questioned the ability of the team to challenge for a New Year's Day bowl after losing 97 percent of its rushing attack and a senior QB who knew how to manage a game.

What I see is a fairly young team (at a number of key positions) working its way into a lather. Yea, I think State will finish middle of the pack in the conference, but the team is much more talented than in past years.

I don't see a collapse happening. In years past, a start like this would have meant a 4-8 finish and fans calling for the coach's head. Coach Mark Dantonio will rally the troops and State should be able to go 6-3 the rest of the way.

So, no, these aren't the Same Old Spartans.

At least I hope they're not.

27-20, MSU, late in the fourth.

"If I were Butch Jones, I'd go for two if I scored here."

Those were the exact words that came out of my mouth before Central Michigan scored to make it 27-26 REALLY late in the fourth quarter of today's game between Central Michigan and Michigan State in East Lansing.

"I was thinking the exact same thing. Please don't let 'em get it," my boy Ro said.

CMU didn't cash in on the two-point conversion, but everything else went the way of the squad from Mount Pleasant.

I love my school, but losses like this one make life as a State fan difficult because it does nothing but give other local fanbases (you know who you are) ammunition.

I wouldn't have minded it if I knew Central was the better team. Hell, I wouldn't have minded it had they recovered that picture perfect onside kick and didn't move the ball. THAT would have been AWESOME.

Didn't happen.

I understand that CMU quarterback Dan LeFevour picked our secondary apart, particularly our supposed "shutdown" corner, C.L. Rucker, who got picked on like that fat kid in "Bad Santa" today, but why would MSU head coach Mark Dantonio call for such soft coverage to be played on Central's last drive?

Nine-yard completion after nine-yard completion helped CMU get in position to win the game; and that's what happened.

I don't wanna hear any of that"Same Old Spartans" jazz, because I odn't believe that's what this is. I honestly think the Spartans may have been looking ahead to next week's showdown at Notre Dame.

But that's no excuse for losing AT HOME to a MAC TEAM. Now Central's win will be featured in the "A Block" of SportsCenter tonight, probably remixed with highlights from Toledo and Appalachian State winning at Michigan the last two years. Sure, CMU has been picked by many to finish atop the MAC this fall, but that doesn't do anything to soften the blow.

State better regroup, or the season for this year's Big Ten Title darkhorse could quickly spiral out of control. Road games at the Irish and Wisconsin are on the horizon; and now starting 1-3 is a very strong possibility.

And if that happens, the Oct. 3 matchup against You Know Who could make or break State's season.

Now if you'll excuse, I've got a few expletives to hurl and a cell phone to shut off.

When Matt Millen served as president and general manager of the Detroit Lions, he was as good at that job as Joe Jackson would be at raising Michael's kids.

Lions' fans wanted him out. And after eight long, excruciatingly painful years, he was gone - three games into what would turn out to be the worst season turned in by anyone since the people who wrote the last season of "Martin."

Millen went back to what he was actually good at: analyzing the game of football. ESPN hired him, and Millen, starting this season, will provide color commentary for a number of college football games...including tomorrow's huge showdown between Michigan and Notre Dame in Ann Arbor at the Out Hou...I mean, Big House.

The announcement that Millen would be a part of the broadcast team for that game was made months ago and since then, I've heard several people bellow, "how could ESPN let that (expletive) back in this state?"

I don't see what the big deal is.

If you suck at one job, does that mean you shouldn't be able to find a position you could thrive in?

I have no problem with the guy being game fully employed. If you recall, Millen was pretty decent when it came to analyzing plays for FOX prior to taking the GM job with the Lions and stealing money for 5 years (I won't say he stole for the entire 8 years because somebody had to hire him). As long as he doesn't say anything about the pro prospects of Tate Forcier or Golden Tate, viewers should be OK.

Plus, it's not the color guy who makes the game-watching experience. It's the guy on play-by-play. I'm pretty sure not a lot of people remember Al Michaels' color guy during the "Miracle On Ice." And the only reason I remember Marv Albert's color guy (Mike Fratello) from the "Oh, a spectacular move....By Michael Jordan" call is because I'm a geek.

Millen should be an afterthought in these parts by now. He should also be an afterthought for UM fans halfway through the first quarter by tomorrow.

Noon Sept. 5 vs. Montana St.
This is one of the few "gimmes" on MSU's schedule this season. All I wanna see in this game is if the team can keep the penalties down on both sides of the ball and if the offensive line can establish dominance early.
Win

Noon Sept. 12 vs. Central Michigan
This could be a trap game for the Spartans, as the team may be looking ahead to the next week's game: at No. 23 Notre Dame. If State isn't careful, darkhorse Heisman candidate, CMU QB Dan LeFevour, and an underrated group of receivers could carve the MSU defense up. Look for this one to be a shootout in the first half, with MSU taking over late in the 3rd and pulling out the win.
Win

3:30 p.m. Sept. 19 at (23) Notre Dame
Look for State to win, 63-10, with Charlie Weis being canned after the game and sent back to Tatooine. Well, that's what I want to happen, anyway. This one is tough, especially since MSU hasn't lost in South Bend since No Limit Records was hot. But I can't see that losing streak lasting too much longer for ND. Look for Irish QB Jimmy Clausen and WR Golden Tate to hook up for a couple scores, as ND eeks out a close one.
Loss

TBA Sept. 26 at Wisconsin
You know the face you make when you get your first whif of someone letting loose? That's the face people make at me when I tell them State's losing this game. I guess some people don't remember the Badgers had State dead to rights last fall, only to lose the game on a last-second field goal. Also, that game was in November AT MSU. This game is in early fall in Madison. Wiconsin running back John Clay will be the star of this game.
Loss

TBA Oct. 3 vs. Michigan
MSU hasn't won back-to-back games against its arch rival since the Kennedy administration. That stat will change come October. I'm hoping UM comes into this one undefeated (they're first four games are against Western Michigan, Notre Dame, Eastern Michigan and Indiana), so it looks better when State routs them.
Win

Noon Oct. 10 at Illinois
If this game was in East Lansing, I'd be more confident. But Illinois could have one of the 15 best offenses in the country this season. At this point in the season, I don't think State could keep up with Illinois in a shootout.
Loss

Noon Oct. 17 vs. Northwestern
MSU handled Northwestern in Evanston last fall. That was a team that won 9 games. This Northwestern team won't have its top three receivers from a year ago, or its top running back.
Win

7 p.m. Oct. 24 vs. (22) Iowa
How State lucked into getting Iowa two years in a row at home, I don't know. But I'll take it. Last season, the defense made big plays late to seal the win for MSU, and that could be the case this year, as well.
Win

8 p.m. Oct. 31 at Minnesota
Night game. New stadium. Juiced up crowd. Best wide receiver in the conference in Eric Decker.
Loss

TBA Nov. 7 vs. Western Michigan
Should be easy win for State. The weather should make it a little difficult for Western QB Tim Hiller to get going. Think last year's Florida Atlantic game.
Win

TBA Nov. 14 at Purdue
Purdue will be awful this season. That is all.
Win

TBA Nov. 21 vs. (9) Penn State
Everyone and their mother is predicting this game will be for the Big Ten championship. Maybe next year.
Loss

Final prediction: 7-5 (4-4 Big Ten), birth in Insight Bowl

I've been having heated debates with friends over the past month or so about the prospects for our alma mater, Michigan State, this football season.

Everyone seems to believe the team will be world beaters this season and finish with 9 or 10 wins (NOT including a bowl game). They have the right to believe the team will build off its success from last season, when it finished 9-3 and played in its first New Year's Day game since the 2000 then-Citrus Bowl.

They see the improved defense - led by preseason Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Greg Jones - that features nine starters who are juniors or seniors.

They see our special teams, led by one of the best kickers in the nation, senior Brent Swenson.

They also see a schedule that, right now, features only three games against ranked opponents. All of which are about a month a part. And two of those (Oct. 24 vs. Iowa and Nov. 21 vs. Penn State) are home games. There are also games against teams (Wisconsin and Northwestern) that are set to take a step back from the success they had last season, and two games against in-state opponents that should be cakewalks.

I, however, sit on the other side of the fence.

I know I'm gonna get killed for this, but I think MSU this season will be a middle-of-the-road Big Ten team in 2009.

The offense lost 97 percent of its rushing yards when Javon Ringer left East Lansing last spring. What makes the loss even worse is that no other back on the roster showed anything that led coaches, or fans, to believe there was an heir to the starting halfback throne.

A look at the depth chart lists redshirt Freshman Caulton Ray as the starter and two true freshmen (highly-touted backs Edwin Baker and Larry Caper, respectively) as his back-ups. Now-senior A.J. Jimmerson and sophomore Andre Anderson were supposed to take the reins; but Jimmerson is listed only as a kick returner, while Anderson isn't even mentioned on the depth chart. Sure, the O-Line will open up some holes for the young guys, but how much of a groove can you get into as a back when you're in for three plays, then out for two or three series?

Although his numbers weren't spectacular, the loss of senior quarterback Brian Hoyer could be a big one, as well. I don't doubt the skill and talent of sophomore Kirk Cousins (listed as the starter on the depth chart) or transfer Keith Nichol. They'll have a packed house pulling for them in 7 of the team's 12 regular season contests, but what happens in a tight spot on the road? Will they fold under the pressure? The quarterback battle, according to coach Mark Dantonio, will continue throughout the season, as both signal-callers will get PT.

The QBs have several targets to hit; and, hopefully, the wideouts perform better than last year, when they recorded several drops in some key spots. I just don't see all that adding up to a huge year for MSU.

I think 2010 is the year MSU makes the jump and challenges for the Big Ten Title and what would be its first Rose Bowl berth in 23 years.

Yes, there will be more talent on the roster in 2009, but it's young talent, especially on the offensive side of the ball.

So 7-5 is the mark for MSU in 2009. But I wouldn't be upset if I end up being wrong.

Check back for game-by-game predictions for the Spartans.