stlspartan

There's no excuse for the face mask twist and rumor is that Dantonio will announce the punishment today. However, if you think that MSU is a dirty team because of the Saturday's game then you haven't been watching the MSU/UM series for the last 20 years. These games are always chippy. UM pulled just as many or more in Saturday's game. There are two teams on MSU's schedule where you can expect this sort of thing, UM and Notre Dame and the Notre Dame game has been pretty civil the last few years. I don't think the rest of MSU's games to be this way.

MSU blitzed a lot, but it seemed to be mostly zone blitzes. They might bring the corner and linebacker up on one side, then one or both might float back into coverage. Worthy was giving them fits as well - either pushing his man into the backfield or shooting the gap. Gholston was getting around the corner from DE and into the backfield all day as well. Generally, OSU wasn't able to open any running room and only had 3 seconds in the pocket on pass plays. Either the coverage was good or their QBs simply weren't able to release the ball quickly. When they did throw, the accuracy was poor.

OSU 24 NU 17 P200R150 I can't believe that OSU is really as bad as all that - and I figure I'm a shoe-in for predicting an NU loss on this board. :-)

It's true that the Spartan offense has been off so far this year and I have no doubt it cost us the Notre Dame game. However, what's ailing the offense is all fixable, mostly O-line problems and Cousins' inexplicable tendency to miss throws that are normally easy for him. The O-line is already looking better and if Cousins had been in form they would have handled OSU easily. The lesson to take away from that game is that the offense was playing poorly and the D was still able to keep them in it. This could be a much different team by the time they come to Lincoln because the Spartans have loads of talent on offense. Regarding the Badgers, there's no doubt they have been fielding great teams for some time now and that Wilson has added a new dimension. My bet, however, is that they will drop a game along the way just like the loss to MSU last year. There are only a couple of teams in the league that are real walk-overs and I won't be giving the conference trophy to Bucky just yet, nor would I assume that Nebraska has faced their last challenge in the conference.

Whichever team is successful running the ball is going to win.

I love this matchup because though Wisky is far from being the most exciting team in the B10, but they know how to bring it. This is the perfect introduction of Nebraska to the conference. It just wouldn't have been right to start with somebody like Purdue. Wisky is the most like Nebraska so it will a be wonderful comparison and I'm going to settle down and eat my popcorn. Too bad you can't both lose. :-)

I don't think there is much animosity towards Nebraska in the B10 (though I'm still a little ticked about Derrick Mason's broken arm.) I'm a little torn because I enjoy watching Wisconsin lose but it just wouldn't be right to have the Huskers come in and run the table. Another side of it, is that the B10 plays a style of football that is pretty grueling. I'm not sure that Nebraska can approach the B10 season the same way they might approach the B12. It reminds me of the way MSU is treated by the press every year at the NCAA tournament. All the pundits say "MSU can't run with <insert team>." What they fail to realize is that MSU loves to run, but in the B10 the other teams aren't going to let you do that. I think it's the same for football. You can't be the top team in the B10 if you aren't pretty physical because even the teams that are in the middle to bottom of the conference are going to beat you up.

There's certainly charm to the traditions, I'm a big fan of the traditional bowls - even though they leave the final standings murky. I must say, however, that it was magical the first time we pointed across the field to see JoPa standing there. ... and for some reason, I find the addition of NU to the conference magical as well. Hell - I'm hanging around this board as much as the RCMB. As I've said in other threads - every NU game in the B10 this year is like a bowl game. With no ill will towards NU, somehow I feel like the conference needs to represent well in these first couple of years and not let some newcomer slap the conference around. I'll be watching every NU game this year like it's January 1. I think that the trick is to add quality teams with great traditions.

No question, there are some visitor seats in an end zone block. What you can't see in the picture, however, is that there are visitors seats lining the back rows of the deck that is squeezed in between the upper and lower decks. The seats are so crappy that you can't see them in this picture - just the narrow slit that, supposedly, gives those fans a glimpse of the field. The folks with season tickets probably think that the away seats are just the ones they see, however there are 1000's of visitors seats with obstructed views lining the back rows of that middle deck that they are unaware of. But again, my main point is that a stadium like Notre Dame (or MSU) with ~80,000 capacity can create an environment where there isn't a bad seat in the house. I've been to OSU one time (won't go back) and UM dozens of times and I can tell you that the experience isn't as good. At UM, you can be very far from the field with a very low view angle. The seat spacing is so tight I've seen people being pushed off the ends of the bleachers into the aisles. You might also have to walk up 100 rows to get to the gate. At OSU there are seats where you simply can't see the field. If expanding NU's stadium was just going to add a bunch of crappy seats, then I would be against it.

Visitors are in 2 sections. One in the South Stands all along the path to the visitor's locker room. And the other on the north end of the stadium east of the north entrance. If you were in the last two rows of the stadium, it's because you got the tickets from someone else. Hmm... got them from the MSU ticket office as an away ticket with my season ticket order. In any case - the field was pretty much not visible considering that the thin horizontal bit of the field that you could see under the upper deck was also obscured by poles. There were fellow Spartans in a couple of rows against the back wall going either direction as far as you could see. Maybe some of the visitor seats are in a block, but not all by a long shot. Main main point, however, was that giant stadiums can have some pretty crappy seating. Michigan stadium has very narrow seating that can be very far the field and the shoe has seats where you, essentially, can't see the field.

I think that you should revisit this after more of you have made the trip to Ann Arbor. Then, you will learn that Michigan achieved their +100K seating simply by repainting the numbers on the bleachers. I know that the press love the "Big House" and the "Shoe" but I've been to both and unless you are sitting in the press box, they are a crappy place to watch a football game. The BIg House has a very gentle slope to the stands so that by the time you get to the upper rows, the field is very far away. The Shoe has support poles and an upper deck that block the view. I still go to the Michigan game when MSU plays there, but it is much more for the atmosphere because the visitors' seats are terrible. The visitors' seats in the Shoe are spread all around the last row or two of the stadium; won't be going back there. Notre Dame is the school the did it right. They expanded from 50K or so to the current 80K (?) and managed to improve everything. I really look forward to seeing the team there - it's a monument to football, and the ushers are so polite you feel like you should have worn a tie.

I'm very interested to see how this plays out. The B10 often has a team with an option package, but it's generally broken out in big games as a novel formation where it is run for a series or two. The difference with NU is that the conference hasn't had a dedicated, traditional option team. I don't think the defensive coaches are clueless about it, but I don't think the've seen it run to perfection either. Obviously, NU tilts towards the run as much as any team in the B10 and probably more. It seems like it's one of those attacks that works when you outclass the other guys. I've no clue if that will be the case against the top half of the conference, especially against the teams that like to play smash mouth. If it works, then NU will be top dog, but I would like to believe it won't be that easy. I'm guessing that there's a reason that the traditional powers in the conference like UM and OSU gave up on physically dominating everybody and have turned to more balanced attacks.

It looks spectacular - the B10 plays some good basketball so you'll see some great games there. You might have a harder time winning the conference in hoops though.

It won't be loud, it will be breathtakingly silent because you will be slaughtering them.

Well, it should go without saying that it was "proposed" by a poster on the spartantailgate message board, because the idea is batshi* crazy.

Ah, well - if it's only proposed, then check this out:

I saw this on the board and it looks beautiful but I'm not sure what it is; basketball facility? For some reason it reminded me of the MSU football building. Campus architecture is fantastic these days.

Good lord man, pull yourself together before somebody slaps you.

I don't see Michigan as a big threat for NU - they haven't been the UM of old for a while now, though they might right the ship with a new coach. Wisconsin will be a great test. Somebody at the top of the thread was saying they can roll up the score but they did that against weak teams. I see this as more of a battle of the titans kind of game. PSU @PSU is always difficult no matter how good you are or how bad PSU is. (and of course, they fire up for every game because every season for the last 20 years or so has been Jo Pa's last season) OSU - will be very good at some point in the year; just hoping it's after they play us. They had a big shakeup, but they are loaded with talent. Iowa was a bit of a Jeckle and Hyde team last year - but they can play so it could be a wildcard loss if you catch them on the wrong day. MSU is going to be a very good team this year - but I'm thinking that it will be hard to win in Lincoln. We might bring it though because State is a good team on the rise and could have a breakout season if things fall into place. Bottom line... I'm thinking you take 1 loss against one of (in order of likelihood); Wisky, OSU, MSU or Iowa.

This is what I'm talking' about. Real stain the uniform grass. MSU's field even has its own Facebook page.

Great post and please stick around to shoot the proverbial BS. However, both Iowa and Wisconsin have been playing on FieldTurf for sometime now. Crap! I've revealed my age. I've had season tickets in Spartan Stadium since 1977 and have been to most of the stadiums in the B10. I would have loved to go to the MSU/NU game this year, but strangely enough none of my buddies here in Missouri seem to have much interest.

I've always thought the conference has some excellent grass. Most of the schools have the climate for cool season grasses, so they might have some trouble during the heat of the summer. MSUs field won national field of the year honors recently but there was a U2 concert that destroyed it this summer. It was not unexpected, so the new surface is installed and looking good after being grown in Colorado. Here's a good article if you are into turf management: http://www.msuspartans.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/062911aad.html MSU takes the field condition very seriously. When I think of Wisconsin, Iowa, Michigan State and Penn State, some pretty fine looking grass comes to mind. Bump this thread after the season and let me know what you think. Every Nebraska game in the Big10 this year is going to be like a bowl game. I'll watch every one. The first game @ Wisky is going to be fantastic. Though MSU fans have no great love for the Badgers, they'll be representing the reputation of the conference, and had better bring it.

Welcome to the conference (wish the game was in E. Lansing this year) I can see Nebraska doing very well. When Penn State joined the conference, I think they may have won the B10, so there's no reason N couldn't do it. UM and OSU have lots of distraction so that's another advantage. The traditional challenge for most teams in the B10 has been injuries. I don't know if it's the colder climate or just a tendency for smash-mouth, but it's pretty rare to get through a B10 season without losing several top players, especially at QB. N seems to be well set up for the attrition game or at least that's my perception. You don't seem to build the team around a handful of skill guys so one wouldn't expect you to lose a lot of momentum as the season goes on. One thing that I'm sure you will come to appreciate in the B10 is the officiating. It is unimaginably terrible, and the zebras in the B10 LOVE to determine the outcome of big games with crazy calls on key plays. Traditionally, UM and OSU have been the beneficiaries of these calls so the jury is out as to which way the flags will fall for you newcomers but prepare to be amazed. I'm already gearing up for the Nebraska game and can't wait to see the next game from my seat in Spartan stadium.