MStateu4evr

Why do you say that? I really hope it is, the MSU-PSU rivalry is forced. For the same reason they'll likely move the OSU-Michigan game earlier in the season. They wouldn't want to run the risk of us playing PSU over Thanksgiving and again the next week in the championship game. Our final regular season opponent will be a division foe. Probably Iowa, but if the Big 10's really chasing national attention at the end of the season, maybe Nebraska-Michigan? If they were to put Nebraska vs. Michigan in an annual end-of-year slot, you have to think that would at least "cloud" the primacy of the OSU-Michigan rivalry in the longterm. Think of wee little Michigan fans who are very young today. By the time they're in their 20's, will they care more about all the cross-divisional mid-season games against their "traditional" rival? Or will they care more about a string of season-ending games against Nebraska, often with the division crown at stake? Fun for us as Nebraska fans, but I really think the big 10 is making a dumb move by splitting OSU and Michigan and would make it worse by putting Nebraska-Michigan at the end of the season. MU-MSU and Nebraska-Iowa to end the year makes more sense. I'd imagine if Michigan wasn't paired with OSU at the end of the season, they'd be paired with Michigan State. We'll see in a few hours I guess.

So much for Penn State being our thanksgiving game... Why do you say that? I really hope it is, the MSU-PSU rivalry is forced.

WOTS is: MSU, Mich, Neb, NU, Iowa, Min OSU, Wis, IL, IU, PSU, PU http://www.spartantailgate.com/forums/msu-red-cedar-message-board/460057-big-ten-divisions-announced-per-tim-staudt.html

From someone with no affiliation to the Big XII: I have lost all respect. I used to think of the Big XII as a strong conference, just behind the Big Ten/SEC (and possibly right up with them). After everything that happened, I view them as a bunch of pretenders following behind one greedy school. It is kind of sad how much power Texas has, and it damages the reputation of all those involved. It's a good thing you guys got out of there when you did.

or came in 7th and face Iowa State in the Dallas Bowl. Just kidding. BTW, there is/was a B10 rule that in case of ties, the conference winner would be determined by who had not been to the Rose Bowl in the longest. Example, I believe 10 years ago or so Northwestern and OSU ties but since NWU had not been in so long, they got the Rose Bowl invite. I wonder how that rule is determined if NU is new and has never been to the Rose Bowl but I think the CCG eliminates that tie breaker rule. Not anymore. I think that is the updated one. It looks like they took out that rule where if a team that played an FCS team is tied with a team who hasn't, the team who hasn't would win the tie breaker. http://www.bigten.org/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/102204aad.html

The Big Ten is a very proud conference. When we aren't playing each other, we always root for each other (with the exception of rivals). Nebraska is a team that most of us have already respected, and it greatly increased when you guys joined. I can tell you that every fanbase is very excited right now.

and for the Huskers. No doubt

This is a great day for the Big Ten Conference

OOOOoooh, I want in GO GREEN! GO WHITE! (Fast) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOsj37Z7zEs&feature=related (Slow)

Michigan State's is the Red Cedar Message Board. They are in their infamous meltdown mode right now with the news that Tom Izzo is looking at Cleavland though. http://www.spartantailgate.com/forums/msu-red-cedar-message-board/

I really hate to say it, but ND. If the question was who do you like better, I would be much more willing to say Nebraska

This is true.

Thanks for the heads up. No problem, but yea he is kind of a running joke on the Red Cedar Message Board (the main MSU board). There are many examples of him contradicting himself and stating things that are wrong or very obvious. How they call him a journalist I will never know.

To be fair, Hondo (The writer of SpartanNation) isn't what I would call a "credible" source.

You do realize that Missouri just played Northwestern the other year in the Alamo Bowl when Chase Daniels was a senior (one of their better years of the decade) and they went into overtime. You also severely underestimate Iowa and Wisconsin. I'm not going to agree with that Iowa fan and say that the Big Ten is fast (though they are a lot faster than they are given credit for) but to think that both teams would just walk in and make a BCS game every year would be very naive. I see Missouri being a middle of the pack team in the Big Ten, and Nebraska being usually somewhere in the top 5 (out of 16; that's better than it sounds).

I'm glad you noticed

First, welcome to the forum, MStateu4evr. Make yourself at home. Second, thanks for the rundown. That's a good first post. As far as Ohio State fans go, they're welcome to visit Lincoln, but they'll never come close to filling our stadium. If they had 25% of the crowd I'd be shocked. Thanks. Yea, I don't really expect it to happen much to you guys. I know you hold down your own stadium very well, and trust me, I know you travel well (I believe you dominated Spartan Stadium during one of our Nick Saban years ). Ohio State is known for it though, and no matter how hard some try, they always seem to find a way in. Just don't have a losing season and you should be fine

Hey, Michigan State fan here. Here are my views on the Big Ten fan bases, starting with my own. Michigan State- As one of our other fans have stated, while many people think of MSU as a basketball school, we are really split 50/50. Much of our fanbase views the team as almost a sleeping giant in the Big Ten, and recently we have been "waking up". Due to this, even though we have had many miserable years, our fanbase continues to stay loyal and fill the stadium, along with traveling well. Overall I'd say while we have some downsides, we tend to be a pretty good fanbase, and I have yet to see any major disrespect toward any visiting schools that aren't named Michigan. Penn State- Penn State fans are known for their partying, but they are also very loyal. A lot of their fans tend to look down on the Big Ten as many still remember when they were independent. Apart from that, I haven't had to many problems with them. Wisconsin- Fun fanbase (though their basketball fans can be unbearable) and always make their gameday experience exciting. Their tradition of jumping to the song "Jump Around" during the 3rd quarter intermission always leaves the stadium shaking. There is a reason why it is so hard to win there. Iowa- Michigan State and Iowa have been banging heads for the last couple years after Iowa fans insisted that they should jump Northwestern and Michigan State during the bowl bids simply because they "travel well", ignoring the fact that both teams had a better record and beat them head to head. They managed to jump Northwestern. Their major downside is insisting that they deserve more than they get. Apart from that, their fans are very loyal and make it very difficult to win at Kinnick Stadium. While it can be easy to get into feuds with them, nothing is ever severe enough to completely hate them. Playing their team is always entertaining though, as it always results in a physical game. Northwestern- I haven't met anyone in their fanbase, but they have never done anything for me to disrespect them. Easily my second favorite team in the conference, and they will beat you if you don't take them seriously. Minnesota- Being so far away, I really haven't met any Minnesota fans either. Minnesota tends to be anywhere from mediocre to bad in almost any given sport. Purdue- They usually have a decent showing in football and basketball, but it seems to depend on how well they are doing in each sport. I never hear to much out of them, but the few that I knew were very loyal. Illinois- All of the fans that I have met where very nice when I traveled to Champaign. They were having a losing season though, so I don't know how much that factored into it. From what I have seen, they have trouble filling their stadium, which is not very large. Indiana- I wasn't to impressed with Indiana fans when I went down there. They were very obnoxious, especially considering how poor of a showing they were making on the field and filling in the stadium. I would be surprised if Indiana football ever made it into the top half of the conference for more than one or two years straight. Don't expect much out of them. Ohio State- They tend to be very drunk and obnoxious, but they do travel VERY well, probably the best in the whole conference. Plan on them taking over any given stadium, though it won't be nearly as noticeable for you guys as you wear red too. If you want an idea of how bad it can get, google search images from the 2009 Michigan vs Ohio State game. Michigan- Unbearable fanbase. Living in the same town as them makes it that much worse. They do believe that they know everything about everything, and they won't waste a second to praise the incredible education at their school...even though most of them do not and never have attended it. They truly believe they are god's gift to college football, and if they lose, it was because the refs, the time of day, the layout of the field, or the game clock screwed them over. Be prepared to hear "You would have lost to Appalachian State too...they won the Division 1-AA championship the year before."