MSU vs. Western Michigan University, November 7th

While the picture at the top of the Big Ten conference got a bit more cloudy today, this game proved to be a very one-sided contest, as expected. MSU delivered the most lopsided victory against an FBS opponent in 2 years, as they beat WMU 49-14. Another high point for MSU was the liveliness and attendance at Spartan Stadium -- the fan base at MSU has had a reputation in the past of not showing up well after heartbreaking losses and during seasons where expectations were not met. Credit goes to Dantonio and his first few teams for starting a trend of consistency.

MSU now sits at 5-5 overall, and 4-3 in the Big Ten. One more win will ensure the Spartans head to a bowl this year. Many are thinking that, like 2007, 7-5 is necessary to guarantee a bowl spot. However, this year there are a herd of 6-6 teams, and a big gap in wins above that. Minnesota, MSU, and Northwestern look like they may finish 6-6, with OSU, Iowa, PSU, and Wisconsin taking the first 4 bowl spots. MSU has the biggest potential for a bowl to cash in, so they will likely get picked before other 6-6 teams.

MSU got a lot of confidence back on defense, a unit that clearly struggled in previous weeks. At the half, I believe WMU had 33 yards of total offense. The secondary still looks like a weak point for this team and I don't believe anyone in the country should rely on this unit to win games. They did show up against Iowa and did a great job, until the last drive of the game. A new running threat emerged in Ashton Leggett, who ran for 110 yards on 10 carries, with FOUR touchdowns. Larry Caper, the usual starter was out with a concussion. Leggett has barely seen the field since the Montana State game and he came out firing. I'm sure he has earned some playing time with Caper in the last two games.

My one huge problem with this team is the decision to keep switching out Kirk Cousins and Keith Nichol. A lot of people believe Nichol goes in every game because the staff made some promise to play him if he transferred back to MSU. No idea if that is true or not, but look at the number comparison:

Cousins: 61% Completion Percentage, 7.82 Yards per Attempt, 140 QB Rating, 2.4 TD/Int ratio
Nichol: 51% Completion Percentage, 8.55 Yards per Attempt, 137 QB Rating, 1.6 TD/Int ratio

While the argument is there that Nichol hasn't had a chance to get into rhythm, I present to you, the Illinois game, where he started and played a vast majority of the game before bruising his elbow:

52% Completion percentage, 179 yards, 0 TD, 1 Int, QB Rating of 104

Kirk Cousins has yet to have a QB Rating that low in his starts, and has only thrown below 52% twice, on the road @ Wisconsin and against Iowa, two very good teams with pretty strong defenses. I understand that the stats say they are close, but Cousins clearly has separation. Switching QB's does have an effect on their rhythm and the offense will suffer because of it. I just don't understand.

As stated before, the Big Ten went a little wild. Iowa, the clear cut favorite to win the Big Ten at the beginning of the day, as well as a legit BCS Title contender, was upset by Northwestern at Kinnick Stadium. Starting QB Ricky Stanzi went down with an injury in the 2nd quarter and returned out of uniform on crutches later in the game. Iowa's offense never got going after that as NU took the game 14-10. Ohio State also beat Penn State in a later game, leaving PSU with two losses, and Iowa and OSU with one loss. Coincidentally, OSU and Iowa play each other next week in Columbus. The winner has a fast track to the Big Ten championship and Rose Bowl berth, as the two teams play Michigan and Minnesota, respectively. Michigan dropped to 5-5, 1-5 in the Big Ten after losing to Purdue, with @ Wisconsin and OSU their final two games. They will be favored to lose significantly in both matches. Illinois is showing signs of life, finally: they beat Michigan last week and now handed Minnesota a loss, without Juice Williams for some of the contest.

It doesn't look like there will be two Big Ten teams in the BCS this year, as any non-champion will have at least 2 losses in a middle-of-the pack conference. This is probably a good thing for the Big Ten, as teams will not be "bumped up" to face harder competition. We'll see what happens!